Perennial Trigger book I: Dimensions
by Jerm
Summary: Two years after, Lucca has finished her latest invention. A new device to replace the now dormant gates and destroyed Epoch. However, 'The Gatekeeper' doesn't only open rifts in time. A hole between worlds has opened, and something has escaped.
1. Chapter 1

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 1

* * *

Crono awoke to the sound of Nadia's Bell ringing. His head inclined slightly, brief startlement to the sudden noise. It sounded much different from Leene's Bell, which had been replaced two years ago by the very bell he heard now. Nadia's Bell sounded more harmonious; Taban was indeed as much a master craftsman as he was an inventor.

The bell pealed once more and then fell silent. Crono closed his eyes and tried to get back to sleep. He laid his head back down and prepared to do so. However, one of his cats had jumped onto his bed and deemed it necessary to try and fall asleep on Crono's face.

Crono picked up his pet to see who it was. It was his newer cat, Blush. She had gotten her name from Crono's mother. Crono thought the name was stupid, but he had promised his mother that she could name it anything she had wanted to.

The name did fit, though. The cat was pink. Much different than his pale orange cat, whom Crono had named "Cyrus." Before Crono had found the time warp, he had found out about Cyrus through the history books, a famous knight. Crono had idolized Cyrus and named his cat the same name.

He also carved himself a wooden sword so he could practice and be a great swordsman; just like Cyrus. Children's fantasies, which had become all too real in his later years.

It was coincidence that in the past when he was searching for the missing Marle, he had run into Cyrus's young friend, Glenn. Glenn had gone by the name Frog then, due to his appearance. A sorcerer by the name of Magus had cast a spell on him after having killed the famous Cyrus.

However, Crono's idolization of the medieval hero had earned him a plus. If he hadn't learned to use a sword, he wouldn't have survived the adventure he had had two years ago. Crono doubted he would have lasted a day.

In fact-

Blush meowed, breaking Crono out of his thoughts. He sighed and decided to see how early it was. He got out of bed and put the cat down. Ignoring the cat's meow, Crono walked over to the window and looked outside. There were very few people out. No wonder, it was only around early dusk.

Crono bent over and pulled out a small handful of the cat food and put it on the ground. Blush immediately dived in and began eating. Cyrus came bouncing up the steps and joined his friend.

Crono closed the curtains on his window and walked over to his bed. Before he laid down, though, he looked at his calendar briefly.

Two years, he thought. Such a long time has passed since he had completed the adventure. He wondered if he could remember it. It had seemed like something that would embed itself into his mind so easily, yet not long after it had occurred, he was already pressed for memories.

However, he was tired and couldn't bother trying to surface memories at the moment. He turned from the calendar and went back to his bed for some more sleep. Stepping carefully over the eating cats, he paced to his bed.

Cyrus meowed and ran back downstairs, Blush following him. Crono collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep.

x x x x x

Princess Nadia had always hated formal gatherings. This particular one was no exception. They were in the dining hall; Nadia, her father, and the noblemen from all of Guardia's protectorates. They had all long since finished their meal and were now discussing politics.

Each noble presented his demands or problems and the king either accepted or declined. It sounded simple enough that way to the princess, however, many of the unlikable nobles deemed it necessary to whine continuously about why their demand should be accepted. This was going to last a long time. Nadia was tired, feeling as if she might finally snap and attack the next whiner, but the nobles were as awake as they had been when the meal had began.

_Must be the drinks, _she thought darkly.

"I really think we could double out lumber quality and output if we were to take a portion of Fiona's Forest. I'm not asking to take out the whole thing-heavens no! Just a _piece _of it. It would be useful for me to build more houses for my growing population."

"I said 'no,' Pret," the king answered, "That forest is a national icon. As for your growing population; I have been to Porre recently. There is no overpopulation problem or anything near it."

"But, Your Majesty-"

"No," the king glared at the nobleman.

Pret stared back for the briefest moment, then averted his eyes, "...Very well."

Pret stood, obviously unhappy, "That is the last of my proposals. With your permission, Your Majesty, I will take my leave for the night."

"You may leave, Pret," the king said dismissively, almost seeming to wave his hand toward the door.

Nadia looked at the departing form. That was close. The very forest she and the others had saved years ago was almost in danger of being lost again. She was glad that her father at least knew of the importance of that forest to her. If not that, he at least recognized its importance as a historical landmark.

Nadia broke away from thoughts of the fight to save the forest. Her mind wandered and she then wondered about Pret's excuse.

Overpopulation. But the king said that it wasn't a problem. She began to wonder what else someone would want so much wood for.

Another noble stood up to make a demand, but Nadia was too busy thinking about Pret's.

x x x x x

Lucca finished the last bit of tinkering on her machine. Stepping up off of her knees, she wiped the sweat off of her forehead. It had taken long enough, but surely this time the stupid thing would work. She looked up at the sky, it was almost noon. After four failed attempts, surely this time would be the right one.

_Crono would have to see this, too,_ she thought suddenly, _I'm sure he'd be just as hyped about being able to meet his old friends as I am..._

Lucca bent over and brushed the grass off of her legs, giving her invention one last lookover. She thought over everything on it, what could be wrong, what she had already fixed. No matter how many times she looked over it, it looked ready to work. It _had_to work this time. She certainly had enough free time to work on it.

Her parents had left for a vacation a week ago, and they wouldn't be back until the end of the month. They had gone south to Denadoro to do some hiking. Lucca smiled at that thought, for some reason her mom loved hiking.

With those thoughts in mind, she turned from the machine and went off to tell Crono the good news. The Gatekeeper was officially in business.


	2. Chapter 2

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 2

* * *

"Well, what do I do now?"

Pret slammed the door behind him as he entered his guest room. The room seemed to shake from the impact, several things stacked on his desk rattled, the papers shuffling from the gust. Pret stormed in, glaring at the figure standing inside his room against the far wall, casually staring at him with hooded eyes.

The figure was wearing a black robe, which concealed his entire body. His hands were tucked into their opposite's sleeve and the hood was drawn over his head. It would have been impossible to find him unless you knew he was there. But Pret knew, he continued to stare at the darkness within the dark, waiting for an answer.

The figure finally moved, freeing his hands from each to reach up and pull back the hood. The absence of the hood revealed the mysterious figure's face.

Pale white skin shone through, the opposite of the dark robes he wore. Pale dark lips were the only difference in coloring except for the eyes. His pupils and iris were pure black.

Pret flinched at the sight, "Please do not do that, Nikades. You know very well how that... disturbs me."

"If you wish," Nikades replied pulling the hood back.

"I wish it very much," Pret added, "I've had a long day and the last thing I want to do is have to look at a ghost."

Nikades ignored the remark, continuing to stare at Pret as the hood was draped once again over his head. When he was finished, he remarked, "I take it from your outburst that things did not go well."

"The king didn't grant me the lumber. He said that it was a national symbol," Pret ranted, his tone switching to sarcasm to add, "Now what do I do, oh advisor?"

"You worry too much, Pret..." Nikades replied.

"I worry too much because you don't worry at all. It is as if you don't care about either of our plans succeeding or not! This is our problem," Pret stepped over to his desk and none too gently put his hands on it to lean on, "I need that forest! You need that lumber! Without it, none of our plans will work. So advise me!"

"If you would calm down for a second, you will see that I am your advisor for a reason." Nikades said calmly, "I have a back-up plan. I half-expected you to blunder the original plan."

Pret was enraged, "Blunder? That was a stupid plan! It wouldn't have worked if Fiona herself had risen from the grave and asked for the wood! Don't forget that you are MY advisor. If you continue these insults, I can have you jailed!"

"You need me," Nikades said in a suddenly dark voice that warned Pret of arguing, "If you try to jail me, your plans will fall apart. If you try to execute me, you'll find yourself in more trouble than you can possibly imagine... Don't play the tyrant until you have the power."

Pret glared at him, his mouth trying to find something to say, to retort to the obvious threat to himself. However, nothing could make its way out.

Nikades walked along the wall, towards a nearby window. "Remember, I have a back-up plan. Our plans have _not _failed. If you will listen, you will have what you want."

"And I will," Pret finished with a strained voice, finally managing to speak, "or you will pay for crossing me."

Nikades remained silent. He stepped back into the recess of the shadows and stood thoughtful in the darkness. Pret stared at the lump of black for a moment, managing to calm down. Finally, Nikades spoke.

"Ghost, eh?" the tone was, as always, low and calm.

The blackness that had once been Nikades seemed to shift into the darkness, to disappear. Pret nearly gasped at the trick, his hand reaching out but only striking the wall. Nikades was gone.

"You probably wish I was a ghost..."

Pret spun at the voice to find Nikades standing by the door, near invisible, but still there. Pret took a step forward, "Wha?"

"A ghost can't hurt you." Nikades formed a slight smile, then opened the door and left, as quiet as he was invisible.

Pret stared at the empty doorway for several moments, trying to regain his appearance. Finally, he shook his head and muttered to himself, "What have I gotten into here?"

x x x x x

Crono opened his eyes again. It was later, but he was still tired. He debated on whether to get up or go to sleep. Quickly he sorted the reasons of each in his mind. He didn't have anything urgent to do today. He would sleep.

He started to close his eyes once more.

"Crono!"

Crono opened his eyes again. That had been his mother calling. Sleep sounded so good right now, though. He shouldn't give it up for something like a person yelling for him. Crono decided to act as if he hadn't heard.

"Crono!"

There was no use in ignoring it, it wouldn't go away. He got up and dressed, his movements groggy. He was really tired. Looking outside he could see that it was almost midday already. He had slept half the day away.

"Crono!"

"I'm coming!" he yelled back down.

He tried to go to the stairs, but Cyrus got in his way and he tripped over the feline. He fell onto the floor with a thud. Cyrus rubbed against Crono's face. Crono sputtered and moved his face out of the way.

"Crono!" the call was insistant now.

"I'm said, 'I'm coming!'" Crono yelled even louder, getting up.

He clambered down the stairs with his two cats trailing behind. He saw that his mother was at the door. She had the door opened just slightly, so he couldn't see who or what was on the other side. He stopped at the foot of the stairway, his hand resting on the banister.

"What is it?" he asked impatiently.

His mother turned back to the door and spoke to the figure behind it, "Here he is, dear."

She opened the door to reveal Lucca.

"Hi, Crono. What took so long?" she asked cheerfully, too cheerful for a tired and lightly bruised Crono.

His mother walked to the kitchen to prepare lunch. It was indeed midday already. She opened a cabinet, looking for ingredients.

"Don't ask," he said stepping outside and closing the door behind him.

"Be back for lunch," came his mother's fading words through the door.

He reopened the door, "Okay."

He shut the door again and turned to Lucca, "What is it?" he asked in a bored voice, adding to his expression.

"Would you be willing to come to my house? I've got something to show you," she said excitedly.

"What?" he asked, keeping the monodrone voice.

"I won't tell you. You have to come see it," she was definitely excited, "C'mon!"

"Is this another stupid invention?" he asked exasperated.

"Stupid?" Lucca demanded with a hurt expression.

"Thought so," Crono sighed and began to turn around, back to his house.

"Just come on!" she said, running off toward her house.

"...Fine," he gave in. The sooner he began, the sooner it was over.

He followed her to her house.


	3. Chapter 3

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 3

* * *

"Well, what is it?" Crono asked as he was presented with Lucca's surprise.

She had led him to her front yard where several wires were running from the house. They all led to a device that looked suspiciously like the transporter she had invented two years back for the Millennium Fair.

"It's a gatekeeper! I've finally found out how to travel time without Lavos!" she said, still in ecstasy of her newest invention.

"A gatekeeper?" Crono pressed, looking for a better definition.

"It makes gates," Lucca answered, patting the machine gently.

"You mean you've created a gate? A _working _man-made gate?" Crono was taken aback, despite his fatigue.

"Well, I don't know if it's working...but the theories are sound. I was going to test it, and then I thought that you might want to watch." she said.

"So...you don't KNOW if it works or not? You don't even know if it'll...say, blow up in our faces?" Crono was suddenly a little apprehensive.

"Oh, I don't think it'll blow up. It might fall apart if I didn't tighten a screw or bolt enough, but it won't blow up. Besides, I spent a LONG time working on this, if anything's safe, it'll be this," she replied, then she added happily, "So should I try it out?"

"Wait until I've stepped back far enough," Crono said, putting word to action and stepping back, "like, say to my house."

"Oh, come on, Crono!" she dropped to her knees in front of the control panel and put her finger on a switch, "Live dangerously."

"Those two words should never be-" Crono began.

She pushed the button.

"-...Nevermind," Crono finished, defeated.

The gate started humming as the electricity began coursing through it. Nothing happened for the first few seconds, then the humming suddenly became more pronounced, less annoying.

Crono closed his mouth, watching and waiting for something to happen. He raised his hand above his eyes to shield out the sunlight coming from the noontime sun. Something started to appear in the stand, a circle of energy. It was a gate. But this gate was red, not blue.

"Uhhh...Lucca. I don't think that's right!" Crono yelled over the hum of the machine.

"I know, I know!" Lucca yelled back, equally perplexed by the bizarre lightshow.

The machine was buzzing so loudly now, that Lucca even started to back up, fearing an explosion. The grass around the forming gate began to blow back away from it, some unseen energies pressing out of the gate.

Then suddenly, the circle began flickering. It sustained for a moment, then it vanished. The machine shut down. Silence returned a moment later as it died. Seconds later, it was as it had been before she turned it on.

Lucca was somewhat annoyed.

"You stupid piece of trash!" she said gracelessly.

She demonstrated her point by kicking the machine. There was a metallic clang as her foot hit it. "I was so close!" she yelled.

"Lucca, you didn't really expect it to work the first time, did you? I thought most of your inventions took several tries and corrections to work," Crono said carefully, trying to avoid causing a fit.

"But this is the fifth time I've retried it with improvements. This is the closest I've been, and I can't think of what is wrong with it." she said despairingly, "It was _supposed _to work this time!"

She sat onto the grass and punched the ground, "I was so hoping on seeing Robo again. I think he's right about there being a place for him in the new future, but I would really like to find out myself."

"I have to go eat lunch now. Would you like to come?" Crono spoke up, walking beside her; he then added as a joke, "I see that your parents aren't here and you couldn't feed yourself if you had food in one hand and an instruction booklet in the oher."

"Just because I forget about the time, doesn't mean I don't know how to feed myself, Crono," Lucca glared at him, standing up, "But I'd love to eat at your house for lunch. There isn't anything here right now anyway."

"And that?" Crono asked, indicating the nonworking Gatekeeper.

"It's not going anywhere," she said dusting herself off.

She gave it one last kick and then they headed back to Crono's house.

x x x x x

Pret fumed as he entered his personal room back at his city of Porre. The upstart advisor had insulted him again. _Again! _He only put up with it because he had been promised with power if he helped Nikades. He didn't trust Nikades. Not by a long shot. But if Nikades betrayed him, he could have him executed for treason. He had power in Porre now. All thanks to the king and his daughter.

The old mayor of Porre had retired last year. Pret, seeing an opportunity, had pushed his way to the top and had become the new mayor; with a little help from Nikades. Soon after that, the king decided to give the mayors of each protectorate a little more power and named them nobles.

Nikades had told Pret the reason for this was that the king had wanted to spend more time with his daughter. They had finally closed some rift that had divided them for a long time. The king had had too much work to really spend time with his daughter, so he gave the nobles the right to decide domestic problems in their own areas.

That was one thing Nikades was good for: information. The other useful trait was soon to be tested for its worthiness.

Pret sat in his chair and leaned back casually, with a smile forming on his face. He began to think about what he would do when his goals were met.

x x x x x

Long after Crono and Lucca had left, the house was still empty. Taban and Lara were, of course, on a visit to Denadoro and Porre. They wouldn't be back for a few weeks. Crono and Lucca were eating at Crono's house; they wouldn't be back for a few hours.

However there was a presence there.

The gatekeeper started to blur. A strange howling noise erupted from its depths and a red circle appeared in its center. After a few seconds, the gate stabilized and remained. Inside was a shape.

It was dark yellow and stood at about 8 feet. Its face was in the center of its body, and above its face was its coneshaped head, which was adorned with horns protruding in all directions. Baleful eyes peered forth into the new world.

It was a golem.

The golem stepped out of the gate, which closed behind it. The creature whirled around and roared loudly as it saw that its passage home had closed. It was lost in an unknown world now.

The golem looked north, toward the town of Truce. There it would find a way to return home. It tore across the lawn to the bridge, which linked the island to its target.


	4. Chapter 4

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 4

* * *

"I wonder if Robo will really be in the future." Lucca stated absently.

They were in Crono's room. Crono was sitting on his bed, stroking a pink cat in his lap. Lucca was sitting across from him on the windowsill, facing the room. She had opened the window and the wind blew her hair around. Though it appeared from a glance to be purple, her hair was actually a deep, deep brown.

"Of course he will. Don't you remember how we found him?" Crono asked, trying to console her, "He had shut down _during _the Lavos attack. That means the apocalyptic future didn't create him."

"I know...but he won't remember me. Won't remember the adventure," Lucca shook her head, "He won't remember a thing."

"You can teach him again. You should just be thankful that he's there." Crono said petting Blush, which whom purred under his touch.

Lucca didn't answer. She reached out and picked up the musical poyozo doll Crono had won at the fair. She twisted the key on it's back and it began to play its music. She placed it back down and hopped off of the windowsill. Cyrus, who had been rubbing against her leg protested until she reached into the bucket and placed down some food for him to eat.

"I guess you're right," she finally said, straightening up and pacing about.

"Of course I'm right," he said humorously, "whenever I don't make sense, I know there's got to be some truth in it."

He stood up and placed Blush on the bed. She decided that she wasn't tired anymore and went to eat with Cyrus. Crono stretched, "I mean, whenever I know what I'm saying, I... Well, I something when I know what I'm saying."

"I guess I should go home," Lucca said, as Crono stopped stuttering and went to close the window behind her.

He stopped however when he looked into the streets of Truce. There was a monster. More than a monster. A golem. An angry golem tearing apart Truce. He stood staring outside for a moment, his hand dropping from the window.

"What is it?" Lucca asked curiously, snapping him out of the trance.

Crono didn't answer. Instead he ran toward the stairs, only stopping to grab his sword from off of the wall hook it rested on. Lucca ran after him as he flew out the door and into the streets. His mother was startled for a moment as he flew by, then shrugged and returned to cooking as Lucca flew past after Crono.

In the streets, there were several people already armed with swords and sticks trying to fight off the beast. They were losing, as there were now two of the five men lying on the ground.

Lucca checked her belt before remembering that her gun was at her house. She had no weapon. She sighed. There was no reason to bring the gun, how could she have known? She watched as the fight intensified.

Crono unsheathed his sword and charged the golem. It stared at him as he ran and laughed. It threw another man away, and ignored the other two, turning to face the new menace.

Crono slowed his approach as he swung his sword at the lumbering giant, but the golem easily dodged his swing, bending and stepping aside. The side step put it against one of the other people trying to battle it, who fell back away from it quickly. The golem then retaliated against Crono with a backhand against the chest that sent him flying through the air.

Crono landed at Lucca's feet, dust and debris erupting from under him.

"Guess... I've lo-... lost my touch," he said breathlessly.

"Are you alright?" Lucca asked trying to help him up.

"No problem," he said as she slowly pulled him up, he absently clutched his chest in pain with his free hand, trying to regain his breath.

He finally found his footing and stood facing the golem. He resheathed his sword and focused, using mind instead of matter this time. The golem looked perplexed and just stood watching, a man hung unconscious and forgotten in its hand. The other man was lying on the ground, still and silent.

A white aura began to waver around Crono. He opened his eyes and pointed his hand at the golem.

A white beam of pure energy erupted from his appendage and toward the golem. The monster was hit dead on in the face, causing it to lose its footing and fall to the ground. It dropped the man that it had been holding. The unfortunate victim struck the ground in a heap, then suddenly got up off of the ground and drunkenly ran from the golem. He had been conscious after all.

However, the golem began to get up. It didn't seem to be badly damaged, though there was now a bright scar running down the middle of its face. It roared in anger and faced the new challenge.

Lucca then remembered why golems were so dangerous. They were mimics.

"Crono, loo-" she began.

A beam of light similar to Crono's shot forth from the beast and it struck the target. Crono was flung back much farther than he had been before. He landed hard on the ground no fewer than twenty feet from where he had been standing. Lucca looked back over her shoulder in concern, hoping he hadn't been badly injured. Then a noise came from where the golem was. She quickly turned her head back, hoping it hadn't noticed her.

Crono looked up with the last of his strength to see as a score of armored men wearing the king's crest on their shields rushed the golem. He sighed in content, as the monster fought the guard.

Then he blacked out.

x x x x x

Crono awoke to Lucca's face above him. It was blurry, but he could recognize her, as she was the only person he knew that wore glasses. She gave him a quick smile and turned away.

"He's awake," she said to another figure.

Crono's vision began to focus as he saw the other figure approach. It was Marle... Princess Nadia. She crouched over him, and he realized he was lying in a bed. It smelled like an old bed.

"How do you feel?" Marle asked; a worried look on her face obviously etched on her face.

"I feel like a million," Crono replied groggily, trying but not completely succeeding in making a smile, "...pieces."

Marle giggled and hugged him. The sudden movement made his eyes blur again, but he didn't mind. The worried look had disappeaded from her face. Lucca stepped forward again with a cup in her hand. She gently pushed Marle back so she could reach Crono.

"Here, drink this," she said offering the cup.

Crono looked at it suspiciously. He knew all about medicine and its 'aftertaste.'

"It's just water," Lucca said calmly.

Satisfied, Crono quickly downed it.

"-And several other things that will help you heal," Lucca finished as Crono started choking on the foul tasting liquid.

Crono glared at the young inventor, "Thanks."

Lucca took his cup and went back to the shelf she had taken it from.

"What happened to the golem?" Crono finally asked, as the incident returned to his memory.

"What?" Lucca said, turning around to face him again.

"The golem," Crono repeated, "What happened to it?"

"Oh. It was killed. There were no human deaths, thankfully. But there were nine injuries," she answered him, then added with a smirk, "counting you."

Crono gave her another glare and said, "Do you know where it came from?"

A sudden solemn expression came over Lucca's face. She bowed her head and nodded.

"Well?" Crono pressed.

"...You remember my 'failed' Gatekeeper?"

"Oh great," Crono responded, sinking his head back into the bed.

"Gatekeeper?" Marle asked uncertainly.

Crono turned to Lucca, giving her the signal to tell Lucca about her invention. However, Lucca shook her head, "I don't have time to explain, you'll have to do that for me, Crono."

"Why don't you have time?" Crono tried to sit up, but didn't succeed, "What are you gonna do?"

Marle pushed him back down onto the bed, "Rest some first."

Lucca replied walking out of the door, "I'm going to be researching on the Gatekeeper for a while. It might take an hour or it might take a week, but I need to find how this happened. I'll try to get it done as fast as I can."

"Fine," Crono nodded, "Do you think another one of those things came out with it?"

"I hope not," Lucca said, walking towards the door, "Oh, and Crono, don't forget to tell her about it."

"Yeah, yeah," Crono acknowledged with a nod.

"Bye," Marle said, quickly waving to Lucca.

Lucca nodded back, opening the door to leave. They watched her walk out of the building, a troubled expression visible in her face.

"Really strange..." she muttered as the door shut behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 5

* * *

King Guardia sat back in the chair in his room. Alone and thinking. Strange things had been happening in his kingdom suddenly. Troubling matters, things that bore into his mind and filled it with thoughts of being overwhelmed. He had tried to make contact with Medina, but there was no answer. Plus, the people of Porre had been slowly turning against him.

He was certain that the latter had something to do with Pret, he didn't trust the man at all. However, the people had voted him, and if Guardia were to remove him, there would be an uproar. Another problem to add to the list that grew with each activity of others.

_Why did they vote for him anyway?_ the king thought to himself, _He was a sure underdog, he had no advantages in the race._

None but Nikades. The mystery that appeared out of nowhere one day and drew the noble's attention. Nothing was known of the dark advisor, however.

But he had the problem with the Mystics to deal with, currently. There was no point in worrying about two things at once. A few days ago, contact had been mysteriously shut off. All emmisaries he sent there had yet to return. He couldn't even think that the Mystics were turning hostile again, it was impossible. Another war would do more damage to them than good.

_With my current luck, a war is what I'd get._

But what was the problem? Of course, maybe the people he sent were merely delayed for some reason or another. But wouldn't some report would have come back to him? He was so unused to these things, they'd never happened before. Why now?

There was a knock at his door. He was jolted from his thoughts as he spun towards the noise in his chair and stood. The chair tilted from his movement, but he caught it and righted it before speaking. "Who is it?" he demanded.

"It's me," replied the chancellor from the other side of the door. The voice sounded a bit urgent, the king would have to allow him in.

"Come in," the king finally said.

The door opened and the chancellor timidly stepped through. He carefully half shut the door behind himself, carrying the look of someone having to do something they didn't want to do.

"What is it, old friend?" the king asked, deciding to sit back down. His hand instinctively went to his forehead and he finally realized he had a headache.

"Well, sir, I was, um... I mean, I was checking on the Princess Nadia. It seems... seems that she is... well...-"

"Gone?" the king studied the chancellor, his hand dropping from his forehead to slap down on his desk.

"...Yeah." the visitor weakly nodded.

"Again? Why does she do this to me?" the king was suddenly livid with anger, his dropped hand rising and falling quickly onto the desk, this time causing the piece of furniture to shake from the force.

"I think you had better ask _her _that, your majesty." the chancellor replied.

"Shut up!" the king commanded, jumping from his seat to begin pacing. His walk was cut short however, when someone else peeked into the doorway.

"Your Majesty?" the person tilted his head around, trying to find the target of his message.

The king turned to the new figure and spoke spitefully, "What is it?"

The messenger stepped fully into the room and began, "Your Majesty, there was an attack at Truce. It-"

"Is there no peace in this world!" the king suddenly thundered.

The king was enraged. He began storming around the room, yelling about the unfairness of life. His pace quickly became a tirade.

The chancellor turned to the aide, "Uh, finish your message to me. The king's busy right now."

The aide took a deep breath, then went into his message, "A large beast was spotted in town. Several people confronted it, but they were all injured. The guard finally came in and put down the threat. They had two injuries. And one of the people who was injured... was that boy, Crono, sir."

"The 'friend of the princess' Crono?" the chancellor asked.

"Yes, sir. That is him."

The king picked up his chair and threw it against the wall. It struck and rebounded away, spinning, but not breaking. The chancellor stepped back briefly as it landed not too far from him, pulling the messenger's shoulders away from the danger zone as well.

"I'll tell him. You go on now."

The person quickly nodded and backed out of the room quickly. After he left, the chancellor took a deep breath. Time for more bad news. The chancellor tapped the king's arm. Guardia turned to the antagonist, "What?"

The chancellor looked at the angry image of the king's face and suddenly decided to start with the good news. "I think I know where your daughter is, Your Majesty."

x x x x x

Crono slowly stood up from the bed. It hurt, but he tried to ignore the pain. Soon enough, he was standing and beginning to walk. His legs were asleep, causing him to stumble a bit, but soon he was able to walk with little problems.

"Crono, I told you to stay down!"

Crono was startled by the exclamation and nearly lost what little balance he had. He grabbed the chair for support, which wobbled under his weight.

Marle came storming into the room, "You won't heal if you keep pushing yourself so much. Get back in bed until I say you're better."

Crono used the chair to hold himself up until he felt sure of his feet again, "It's alright. I feel much better."

To prove his point, he started to walk. He stumbled on the second step and Marle rushed over to help, but he waved her off and continued to walk. Soon he was able to move with minimum trouble, merely a slight limp.

"See?" he asked.

Marle was unenthusiastic in her answer, "Welll..."

Crono picked up the chair at his feet and held it over his head, "I've never felt better. Really."

"Oh fine, walk your legs out," Marle said, finally giving up. She leaned against the door frame with her arms folded across her chest, "After all, it's your legs, not mine."

Crono put the chair down and sat in it, "Now that that's settled, where are we?" he asked, giving another look around him.

"This is just an abandoned house that Lucca found in the backstreets," Marle replied.

"Backstreets? Abandoned house? What are you two so secret about? Why not a hospital or something?" Crono asked, tilting his head in question.

"We weren't being secretive," Marle replied.

"Why not a hospital?" Crono asked again, leaning back in the chair, "I must be slow not to notice the answer right now."

Marle ignore his sarcasm, "You can't go to a hospital because one of the other eight injured was the town doctor."

Crono thought about it for a while before saying, "Okay. Fine...but what happens to the doctor and the other seven?"

There are other people with some medical experience...just not enough to help you. Besides, your injuries weren't fatal or even close. You were just knocked unconscious. We took you here because your mom might not like the idea of her son being brutally beaten into insensibility by a large hulking monster."

He stood up from the chair and stretched. After that he began walking toward the door, "Fine, fine, I get your point. But, now that I'm all better, what do you say we visit Lucca now?"

"Right now?" Marle asked uncertainly, she stopped leaning and stared at him.

"Sure, I'm healed," Crono replied, grabbing her arm and escorting her out the door.

"But not comp-"

"Close enough," Crono cut her off, "I want to make sure that that machine doesn't turn on her again. I can't sit here and not do anything."

He shut the door behind him and led her down the winding streets toward the bridge that led to Lucca's house. It was beginning to turn dark, the sunset just now appearing to the west.


	6. Chapter 6

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 6

* * *

"I should have known," King Guardia said, slowly sinking back into his now righted chair, "I doubt anything short of divine intervention could separate those two."

The king had calmed down by now and, after hearing the chancellor, he felt that he was in control again. He would just get his daughter back and he could deal with the monster attack and the Medinians.

"Should I send a guard to get her?" the chancellor asked.

"Yeah, I guess," Guardia said, waving the chancellor off. The chancellor nodded, turning to leave.

The king sat down on his bed and thought. Nadia had always been able to avoid a normal guard. Guardia need her back as fast as possible. Would a guard or two really be enough? There were too many problems surrounding Guardia at the moment and he _had_to have her back quickly, before things turned bad. He would have to try something a little extreme if he wanted her back.

"I've a better idea," the king spoke up suddenly, startling the chancellor at the door, "Send The Marshal with a few troops."

"The Marshal?" the chancellor asked, his hand leaving the door as he slowly turned to face the king.

"You should know my daughter as well as me, old friend. She'll evade a normal guard or even an army of them. We need the best. Send for The Marshal."

The chancellor stood waiting for a few seconds, as if hoping the king would change his mind. When the king remained silent, the chancellor sighed, "So you still believe him innocent..."

"Yes," the king nodded, "Yes, I do now."

"But does Nadia?" the chancellor questioned.

The king shook his head, "It doesn't matter. I need to have her back _now_, there's only one person that could do such a thing. Whether she thinks of him as a monster or not doesn't matter, because he _will_bring her back. 'The Marshal nevers fails,' if I remember..."

The chancellor nodded slowly, "Consider it done, then, Your Majesty," he turned and left, shutting the door softly behind him.

When the chancellor was gone the king sighed, "Why must you flee me even now, my daughter?"

x x x x x

The chancellor entered the tavern, where there were already several other men. The other men were shouting and laughing...and drinking. Several eyes turned his way and the chancellor wished he hadn't worn such rich garb. Sure, the people wouldn't think of mugging someone of such high rank, but he disliked attention.

Two men at a table were arm wrestling. One definitely had the upper hand, but he was just toying with his opponent. Suddenly, the stronger man grunted in pain and his arm was forced to the ground. The earlier underdog stood up in victory as people began cursing and giving money to others.

The loser was angry though. He stood up and yelled, "He cheated! He kicked me in the leg!"

"Don't be a sore loser," the now rich winner said haughtily, "You just lost your concentration."

"Then let's see how you react when _you_lose something-" the loser was interrupted by a new voice.

"Let's settle this outside," the bartender said, looking up from whatever he had been doing.

The bartender was by far the largest man in the room. Standing at just around seven feet tall, and every inch was muscle, he was someone you didn't want to argue with. He had a trimmed moustache that covered a lightly tanned face. Adorning him was a wide traveler's cloak that could easily be draped about him fully. The chancellor thought for a moment he could see a glint from inside that cloak.

There was obviously something in there, but no one bothered to ask what it was.

The chancellor walked up to the bar as the losing arm wrestler smiled and picked up the cheater. The cheater whimpered as he was carried outside.

"What do you want?" the bartender asked, returning to his task, which was simply whittling on a hunk of firewood with a knife.

"I'm looking for a man who goes by the title of The Marshal," the chancellor whispered, sitting down on a dirty chair at the currently empty counter.

"So you are, huh?" the man tilted his head curiously, "I take it from your dress that you're from the castle. Am I right?"

"I am His Majesty's chancellor," the chancellor whispered back, trying not to let others overhear.

"I thought The Marshal was considered a bandit by the king..." the bartender mused, "Are you going to arrest him?"

"No, I've been sent to offer him a new job."

The bartender laughed, "The Marshal retired years ago, _after_the king destroyed his life... over a mistake."

"He never retired," the chancellor leaned forward, "He merely went underground with his job. He's still out there and I need his help."

"Why would he want to help the king then?"

"It may have been a mistake," the chancellor continued, "but that doesn't mean it can't be fixed."

"Mistakes always remain, whether you see their effects or not," the bartender shook his head, "The Marshal no longer works."

The chancellor sighed and delved into his pockets. He produced several gold coins and put them on the table.

"An assignment from the king pays good," the chancellor said slyly, sliding the money across the table, "I know who you are; let's drop this 'he' business, shall we?"

"If he's the king, he'll know that The Marshal only does the best work. Best work means best pay," the bartender seemed to ignore the jab by the chancellor and went straight to the point, "Got my point?"

The chancellor pulled out a bag of gold and laid it on the table. Then he pulled out two more. Business is business.

"Only four?" the bartender didn't seem impressed.

"It's a small task, hardly comparing to your finer works."

The bartender thought it over, then made his decision, "Okay, I'm closing now!" He quickly began hiding the bags under the counter, "Everyone out."

Several people mumbled obscenities while others decided not to argue and left. One man piped up however, "What are we to do for the rest of the evening then?"

"You can watch the fight outside," the bartender replied calmly.

"But it's already over! You wouldn't expect Gary to last more than half a minute."

"_If_that," someone added, then hurried out the door before anybody saw him.

The bartender leaned over his counter, "Look, I don't have time for whiners. If you are so worried about the fight being over, I can take you out front and start another. Now are you going to leave?"

The veins in the bartender's neck were bulging and his face was turning red. Obviously, he didn't want to lose the money the king was paying him.

The upstart left quickly and the bartender went over and locked the door. He turned to the chancellor. His face was normal again. The angry man must have been a routine, the chancellor realized.

"So what do you say?" the chancellor asked as the bartender walked back around the counter.

"...I hate to do this, I've been able to resituate my life after that incident and I don't want to ruin it..." The Marshal was hesitant, thinking back at the money offered, "But this place doesn't pay good for money."

"And?"

The Marshal smiled and quickly deposited the gold in his cloak, "And I'm bored. So what do you want me to do?" he asked.

x x x x x

Lucca finished crossing the bridge and headed toward her house. She had to work on this right away. It had actually worked. Not in the way she had intended, but it had worked. If she could modify it just a little, she might be able to fix the problem and be able to send herself through time.

Then she could see if Robo existed.

A feeling of giddiness washed over her as she reached the gatekeeper, which was still intact. She sighed in relief, there had been a chance that the golem could have destroyed it when it came.

She bent over it and began looking for anything that might have had to do with the delay. She opened up the circuit board and was about to alternate it when she remembered that she didn't have any tools. Touching electronics with your bare hands will accomplish nothing.

She got up and ran toward her house, tripping on the loose wire she had scattered around. She regained her footing and reached the door. She opened it and raced inside toward her room. It was dark, but she didn't bother to turn on the lights. She was only interested in the tools.

Lucca stumbled on the stairs again and banged her knee against a step. But she merely grimaced and continued. She opened the door to her room and entered, looking for her tools.

She glanced around, but she couldn't see them. They weren't where she had left them or anywhere near. If they were lost...

"Looking for something?"

Lucca whirled at the voice, but she didn't see anything. Only the door. She was about to contribute the voice to stress and continue her search when she saw some movement from where the voice had come from.

She gasped. It looked like the Grim Reaper itself.

She fought down her fear and stared harder at the figure, trying to force her eyes to adjust faster. The thing in front of her was covered in black robes, which had made it invisible in the dark. She then noticed that it was carrying her toolbelt.

"Maybe these?" the figure asked, jingling the objects in its hand.

"Who are you?" Lucca asked backing away.

The figure advanced, matching her retreating steps. It raised a cloaked arm, letting the tools dangle from an extremely pale hand. It chuckled.

"My name is Nikades...as if you would know or understand."

Lucca backed against the wall. She felt atop her dresser for her gun, but it wasn't there.

Nikades stopped advancing and held up its other hand. In it was her gun, "I would say that you're looking for this, too, hmmm?"

The hand closed around the gun. When it reopened, the gun was nothing but a sphere of metal, perfectly round and smooth. Lucca shivered, having a fear that she would be next.

"What do you want with me?" Lucca asked as she looked for a way to escape.

"There are two things I want you for," the figure said as it dropped the mangled gun, "One: I wish to thank you."

"W-Why thank me?" Lucca asked backing up against the far corner and reaching back for the door.

"It is you who released me." Nikades smiled, "Brought me back from my world of torment."

"The Gatekeeper..." Lucca whispered fearfully.

"If that is what you call it."

A step forward. Towards her.

"...And two: You are the only one who could send me back. I must make sure that that does not happen."

The figure advanced again.

Lucca pressed herself against the door, fearing what was to become of her. She grasped the handle and tried to turn. It was locked. She was trapped.


	7. Chapter 7

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 7

* * *

"You called me, sir?"

Pret turned from his desk to see a wiry man standing at his doorway. The person seemed timid, as if he didn't care to be where he was at the moment. His hand was still on the door, as if he was preparing to leave at any second.

"Yes. I need to know if any of our men have found any information on Nikades yet," Pret said, straightening the papers he had been looking over before putting them down on the desk, "I need to know as much as I can about this mystery man."

"Umm... Not yet, sir," the messenger shook his head, "The spies say that Nikades remains quiet whenever he is alone. It's almost as if he knows that they are there."

Pret sighed and stood up from his chair, stepping over to the messenger. He glared down at the man, standing half a foot taller than the small indivindual, "I need to know who I'm working with. Tell the spies if they don't find anything in two days, they will be executed... No, no, no; that's a bit excessive... Sorry. Tell them they will be jailed instead. Maybe that would may their hearing less erratic."

"Y-Yes, sir!" the messenger said shakily, hoping that Pret didn't carry that 'sentence' to him as well. His grip on the door involuntarily tightened.

"_Two _days! Can you remember that?"

The messenger merely nodded.

"Then what are you doing still in here? Deliver it!" Pret reached over the man's shoulder and tore the door out of his hands. He then shoved the person out, slamming the door behind him.

"Idiot..."

x x x x x

The Marshal quietly left the now vacated house. They had been here, it was obvious. He turned to the two guards that had come with him and shook his head, "They're not here anymore."

They may not be there anymore, but he knew where they were going. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a small backpack. The two guards stared at it for a moment, as The Marshal spun it in his hands, inspecting it.

"Look here," The Marshal said, indicating a spot on the bottom of the pack.

They looked at it. On the bag was a name.

_Lucca._

He knew that name. Everyone knew Lucca.

"Let's go!" he said, walking away from the guards.

They looked at each other and decided to follow. They didn't want to argue with this man. Nobody did. Those that had now wished the hadn't and those that hadn't thanked their common sense. He was something that supposedly even the king feared.

x x x x x

"I've always wondered about this bridge, you know," Marle said suddenly, as they were crossing the way to Lucca's home, "I mean, how Taban was able to build it all by himself."

It was becoming dark and they hurried up their pace to reach Lucca's house. If they were caught in the dark, they would have to wander aimlessly. And the bridge had no side rails.

"He had help, Marle," Crono smiled, then pointed westward at the sun, "And besides, there's also Zenan Bridge way over that way."

"This's much larger than Zenan Bridge. Well, not larger, but it's so much better designed." Marle corrected herself, as she shielded her eyes to give a look over where Crono pointed.

"Yeah, but it didn't get destroyed several times during fights," Crono reminded her.

They reached the end of the bridge and walked toward Lucca's house. The sun was almost gone and a sunset presented itself over the ocean to the east. Lucca's house was only a silouette against the fading light.

"Hey Lucca! Are you there?" Crono yelled, startling Marle beside him.

"That was a dumb question, Crono. She said that she'd be there," Marle berated Crono, "Besides, where else could she be?"

"There aren't any lights. She might not be there for some reason. That wasn't a dumb question."

Marle looked at the house and saw that it was indeed completely dark, "Oh."

"Let's go check around," Crono said, walking towards the house, "I don't like this."

_Maybe..._

Crono's voice was calm, but he was privately wishing he had brought his sword. This wasn't right. Crono walked around to the front of the house and saw that the gatekeeper was alone on the ground. Something wasn't right.

_...just maybe..._

"Lucca?" Marle yelled at the house, as she stepped through the grass after Crono.

_...another golem had come through the gate..._

Only silence answered them. Crono stepped towards the house, "I'm-" "I'm up here!"

"Lucca?" Crono asked up at the house, trying to find her if she was visible, "What's wrong?."

"There's nothing wrong. Come up here!"

"Why do you have all of the lights off?" Crono yelled back, unyielding.

"Oh the power. I was testing the Gatekeeper again and the stupid machine caused a power surge. There'll be power by morning though," came the reply.

Crono sighed with relief, "Let's go Marle."

They opened the door as they heard Lucca continue, "I'm in my room. Hurry up. There's something neat that I've found."

They mounted the stairs and began climbing, their footsteps echoing in the quiet house. They reached the top and Crono reached out to open the door. It easily yielded and the two stepped inside, Crono walking in first and Marle trailing after him.

Crono scoured the darkness, but could see no sign of the young inventor, "Where are you, Lucca?"

In response, the door swung shut loudly behind the two. They whirled around at the sudden noise. Marle reached for the door and began pulling at it, but it wouldn't budge, it had been locked. They were trapped.

"What is this?" Crono demanded of the shadows, "Lucca, where are you?"

In reply, a blue light erupted in the middle of the room. They turned around at the flash to see a blue orb shining, hovering in midair. Looking more closely, they soon found it wasn't hovering, but held in a pale hand. The hand moved, but the orb stayed in the air, this time it _was _hovering. The light grew brighter, illuminating the person behind it. Across from them was a figure draped in black robes.

"I'm right here," it said, using a copy of Lucca's voice. Then the voice changed to a deep, yet dark and malevolent voice, the tone mocking Marle's earlier statement, "Where else could I be?"

Crono charged the apparition, hoping to surprise it. However, he was thrown back by a wave of the beings hand. More magic. Crono hit the wall beside Marle, adding more injury to his half-healed state. Marle stared at him, then her head snapped back up at the figure. She backed up against the door, her hand looking for a weapon. When she couldn't find anything, she too charged it. And like Crono she was flung to the ground.

"You make it too easy," the apparition said darkly, once again grasping the orb before it. He clenched his hand and the magical light shattered, throwing the room into darkness and blinding the two helpless people trapped within.


	8. Chapter 8

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 8

* * *

Crono opened his eyes to a blinding light. He winced in pain and reclosed them. He was lying on his back outside, the blinding light being the sun. His back was itching from the grass he was on.

Crono tried to move, to scratch his back, but found that he was paralyzed. He could move from his neck up, as he turned his head to look at his surroundings. To his left, he saw Marle lying beside him. She was still unconscious.

_How did this happen? _he thought briefly.

A noise broke him from his thoughts and he turned away from Marle. Lucca standing in front of the Gatekeeper. She was repairing it, improving whatever mistake she had made before. Then it all came back to him. That figure, where was he?

"Lucca," he said to her, keeping his voice low just in case the person was near.

Lucca stopped working and turned around slowly, "You're awake, Crono," she said when she saw him, her voice subdued as well, but for other reasons.

"What's going on, Lucca?" he asked her, "What are you doing?"

A cloaked form stepped in between them, his appearance sudden and startling Crono, "Lucca has graciously decided to help me," the figure stated coldly.

Crono tried to jump up and fight the being, whom he instantly recognized as the one who he had met in Lucca's room, but he was unable to move. He stopped struggling and asked, "Why would she help you?"

"Why don't _you _tell him, Lucca?" the figure said turning to the young inventor, "After all, you made the choice."

Lucca put down her equipment but remained quiet. Crono thought for a moment it looked like she was crying.

"Tell him..." the figure pressed.

Lucca swallowed and said, "He said that he'd kill both of you if I didn't. I'm sorry, Crono."

That was a common threat, but it got results. The promise was rarely kept, however.

Crono glared at the figure, "Were you planning on killing us anyway?"

Lucca shook her head, "I can't take the chances, Crono..."

Crono continued to stare at the figure, "Who are you?"

Marle started to awaken beside him. She moaned as she woke.

"My name is Nikades... And I have business to accomplish here," Nikades replied, then glanced at Lucca, "She is going to help, of course."

Crono heard Marle gasp as she found that Nikades was above her. Seconds later he could hear her struggling as she learned that she couldn't move. He wished he could move, even if it was just to comfort her. Nikades smiled at her startlement, then continued, "And you awoke too early. Why don't you go back to sleep?"

Crono was suddenly tired. He felt as something, some force was doing this. Nikades was putting them to sleep with magic. He tried to stay awake but was unable to do so, he had no control. He was still too weak and could offer no resistance. The last thing he heard was Lucca repeating, "I'm sorry, Crono."

Then he blacked out.

x x x x x

Lucca finished work on the gatekeeper and stepped back. She hated doing this. It was as if she was betraying Crono and Marle. But wasn't having them killed betraying them too? A double-edged sword.

Lucca sighed. She would lose both ways. She turned from the infernal machine and looked at the two figures, sleeping quietly despite the betrayal played upon them. She would have to wake them now. They would obviously hate her for what she had done, but she had done it for their safety.

She walked over and started shaking Crono. When he started mumbling she walked over to Marle and did the same. She then stepped back and sat down, waiting for them to regain their senses. It was dusk again, the horizon turning a dark shade of various colors. She focused on that for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. For some reason she couldn't think straight.

Nikades...Could he have put a block on her? She hammered her mind, trying to remember pieces and bits of her construction of the Gatekeeper, but it was a blank.

Crono opened his eyes and noticed her, "Lucca...are you all right?"

"Yeah," Lucca nodded numbly, then added sadly, "I'm sorry, Crono, but there was no other way to save you and Marle but to do what that thing said."

"It's okay," Crono consoled her, "What did you do to make the gatekeeper work?"

"I don't know. It was if I was in a trance as I worked on it," Lucca shrugged, shaking her head, "I just tried a few seconds ago, I can't remember how it was done or anything. What could have-"

"Nikades," Crono cut her off, "he wouldn't want you to duplicate it or anything to cause problems."

Marle was awake now, but she didn't contribute to the conversation. She was lying down in a state of depression at what was happening.

"And that would explain why you two were asleep. So you couldn't know what I had done," Lucca finished.

"You two are sharp, aren't you?" asked a familiar voice.

"Damn," Crono said.

Nikades materialized into the evening light. He was wearing the everpresent black robe, but he was viewable, as there was still a slight amount of light. He walked over to the group, his steps slow and deliberate.

"Finished?" Nikades asked, though he didn't bother to wait for some form of acknowledgement; he knew in his own way that it was completed, "You did a lovely job."

"What would you want with a machine that connects times anyway?" Crono asked, knowing it was a stupid question; anyone would kill to be able to travel time.

"Oh, I forgot. Lucca didn't tell you the full extent of my machine, did she?" The evening light was darkening as the sun hid behind the horizon. With each lessening of light, Nikades became more invisible to their sight. He continued, "It does allow someone to travel time, yes. But it can also, though Lucca didn't know when she made it, go a single step further and open up the fifth dimension."

Crono shuddered. He didn't know what the fifth dimension was, didn't know anything about any of the dimensions; with the exception of the third, he existed on that plane, if he remembered.

The sun disappeared and the light died away. The three could no longer see Nikades. But they heard his words, "Would you like to see if it works?"


	9. Chapter 9

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 9

* * *

"What are you going to do to us?" Marle asked, the first time she had spoken since being asleep.

"You are of no more concern to me. I'm going to kill you after the test," replied Nikades calmly.

Lucca gasped. Crono understood her horror.

Nikades laughed, "Just kidding. A deal's a deal. And this is a real deal. You will live." They could no longer see him, but his voice told them where he was. He was walking toward the Gatekeeper.

Crono could suddenly move. He stood up and looked around warily. He heard Marle stand beside him, she too was able to move. He put his arm around her to support her.

There was a humming sound as the Gatekeeper was started up. The humming slowly died away and near silence returned.

"But I still can't have you running around..." Nikades continued.

"What do you mean?" Crono slowly advanced towards the Gatekeeper, wary of Nikades.

"Now where should I test my machine?" Nikades asked himself, ignoring Crono for the moment.

He pulled out a coin and flipped it in the air. He was leaving it to blind choice. The coin spun in the air before landing in Nikades's outstretched hand. Nikades put the coin away and began adjusting the time gauge.

Nikades pushed a button on the control panel and the machine began humming again. A blue portal materialized in the circle. And it stayed this time.

"Good. Good girl," Nikades said as he walked around the controls, preparing to test the gate's realness; he replied to Crono's question finally, "It means I will have to banish you into another universe... after this test."

"Huh?" Crono asked, then demanded, "What do you mean 'another universe?'"

"Another world," Nikades responded, "_That _is the extent of the fifth dimension. Like the fourth dimension bridges time and the third dimension bridges points on a z-axis...geometrically speaking of course."

Nikades gave a slight glance back at the gate, "Where I'm sending you, the natives aren't intelligent. They live on instinct like any normal beast, which is what they, in fact, are. I believe they would look like a large dog, to you. Then again, you would look like food to them.

"I'm not going to kill you, but they surely will..."

"Hold it right there!" boomed a voice.

Nikades whirled toward the voice, hissing sharply, "Who dares yell at me!"

A huge man and two royal guards stepped out from behind the house. The large man had a crossbow in one hand, a sword in the other. The two guards each had a sword. They walked menacingly toward Nikades.

"I don't know what you're doing, but from what I heard, you were just about to kill my 'money!'" the large figure said indicating Marle with the sword, but keeping the crossbow trained on Nikades.

"Oh no," said Marle, "It's The Marshal."

Crono and Lucca had both heard of The Marshal before. They knew his reputation... his criminal record, as well. Nikades didn't, however.

"Take one more step towards me and I'll add you to the list of soon to be deceased, personally," Nikades said, stepping away from the gate and into the shadows, where he was once again invisible.

One of the soldiers threw back his sword and charged where Nikades had recently been. However, a fireball erupted from the darkness and shot toward the hapless guard. It struck and enveloped him instantly, before he had time to dodge. There was a brief flash from the impact, then the remains fell to the ground, his body blackened. The sword clattered on the ground beside the charred lump, red-tinged and smoking.

The brief flash of fire had illuminated the black robes for a second however and The Marshal didn't need a second offer. He fired a quarrel toward the unvacant darkness.

The quarrel disappeared in a flash of blue light about halfway to its target however. The ashes fell to the ground. Nikades laughed briefly from the shadows. The Marshal quickly reloaded his crossbow.

The second soldier was looking around warily for a target. He disliked magic very much. Especially the kind that could kill.

Crono watched as the fight unfolded. He was so engrossed in it that he hardly noticed as Lucca started pushing him forward.

"Wha-" he began.

"Let's get out of here while the going's good!" Lucca exclaimed, giving him another push.

He moved out of the way and let her and Marle lead. They were heading for the gate.

The second soldier grabbed at his neck and started choking suddenly. Then, miraculously, he was lifted in the air, suspended by whatever had ahold of his neck. His sword fell to the ground. There was a cracking noise and he went limp. He soon followed the sword. The Marshal fired another quarrel into the night, but it too was destroyed.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Crono asked as they neared the gate.

"Trust me. I built it, remember?" Lucca shot back over her shoulder.

Crono sighed. No other choice. They ran to the gate. The Marshal loaded another quarrel, but looked to see that Nadia was leaving. She was the top priority. He could 'dance with Death' later. A fireball came streaking towards him as he broke into a run, narrowly missing him. He ran after the Princess.

Lucca jumped in and disappeared in the blue light. "I hope she's right," Crono said taking Marle's hand; they jumped in together.

The Marshal dove to the ground as another fireball came after him, grunting with the forced impact. He quickly got back on his feet and ran toward the gate. He didn't know what it was, but the Princess was in there. He fired off one more crossbow quarrel, simply because he liked having the last 'word' in any given argument. Stashing the weapon back into one of the many pockets of the inside of his cloak, he bent and ran full tilt towards the gate. The arrow quickly burst into blue light yet again, disintigrated.

He then followed his quarry into the gate. Blue light surrounded him, and then he was moving at high speeds down a road he didn't understand.

Nikades stepped out of the darkness after the large man had left. The large man was a worthy adversary. Too bad he had ran away. But there was good with the bad. The four of them had tested the gate for him.

If they survived, he would begin his plan. Of course, they had merely crossed time with the gate rather than universes, but they were out of the way.

And he could always follow them later. Or he could just leave them in the future, forever. There was no way back. The machine switched off, sealing that fate.

Nikades laughed briefly, his plans would come into fruition soon. And then no one would be able to stop him. He wouldn't be stopped this time...

x x x x x

Cid walked swiftly down the halls of RoboTech, inc. Others watched as he went by, wondering what he was doing this time and why his pace was so fast.

Cid was only a kid, 18 and nearing 19, but he already knew more about machines and computers than most of his peers. He was highly respected despite his age. Though respect was hard won when the group of adults had found that they were going to be working with a kid, it had finally been won. 'Cid the Kid' they had called him at first. Now they called him just 'Cid'. Unfortunately, they still thought of him as a kid. Intelligent, but still a kid. Making friends among people like that was difficult.

He had short brown hair, which matched his brown eyes. He wore glasses, a long white lab coat, and grey pants. He was a sight to see as he stormed down the halls, nearly running.

He was in a hurry. There was something peculiar going on in the storage room. His computers had picked up a disturbance, and then suddenly there were life signs in there. Large life signs, as well. Nothing small like the rats that sometimes managed to find their way in. He suspected that his computer might have messed up or glitched, but there was little chance of that. He had built that computer himself.

He took a left, nearly running over someone. He maneuvered around the person, apologizing, and went straight for the door. His hand stopped short however. He instead pressed the intercom button and said into the speaker, "Is there anybody in there?"

There was silence for response. Cid shrugged and reached for the door when a voice finally came from the other end. It was female, "Yeah, we're in here. Can you let us out?"

He thought. If it was a harmless person he would be okay. But if it was a dangerous person he would be in trouble. He finally decided to take his chances. After all, science was one big risk after another. He didn't even notice that the person had used 'we' and 'us.'

"Okay. I'll let you out." he said.

Cid reached for the electrical lock and pressed the unlock code. There was a hissing sound and the door slowly swung open to reveal the trapped mystery.

Inside he saw a three people looking at him warily. One male and two females. He stood there staring at them, trying to decide what to make of them. The female he had been talking to, though, drew his attention as she stepped up to the door.

The girl spoke, "Are you going to open the door only to replace it with yourself or can we get out of here? It's getting cold."

"Wha-Oh! Yeah. Sorry," he stuttered as he stepped out of the way.

They shivered as they left the room. Cid asked, "Where did you come from?"

The group looked at each other, wondering whether they should tell him. The boy finally spoke, "Where are we now?

"You are in the Robotech, Inc. building," Cid replied, "Uh, in the storage freezer."

"Look, I don't want to be rude or anything, but can we go to a place to sit or something before we cross examine each other?" the other girl said.

"I need to know what you're doing in there, first. You obviously aren't personnel here," Cid continued, looking at each of them, "How'd you get past security?"

"We don't have time to talk," the boy shook his head.

"Wrong, you don't have time to argue. We have plenty of time to talk, so let's start while I take you down to security," Cid reached out to shut the door behind them when suddenly there was a bright burst of blue light from the room within.

"Well... that's not supposed to happen," Cid stared beyond the half closed door as the light began to mold itself into a circle.

The three others all looked fearfully into the room. Had Nikades followed them? There thoughts were interrupted as a loud thud could be heard from within. Cid jumped in startlement from the noise, unaware as the light died away.

The three carefully reentered the room expecting the worst, Cid not far behind. They looked down at the figure. Not Nikades. Lying on the ground in a state of confusion was The Marshal. He gazed around himself briefly, dizzy and disoriented from the ride. "What the hell...?" he muttered, then he lost consciousness.

"Uhh..." Cid stared at the figure on the ground, "What was that?"

"How we got in," the brown-haired girl replied dryly.

The boy turned to him, "Look, we don't have time for security. Can you get us out of here? We have a problem, and it's way beyond your comprehension. Please."

Cid thought. This was something he didn't understand, he doubted anyone of his coleagues would understand. Security would ask him what happened, being that he was the witness. They wouldn't believe his answer. That wouldn't sit well with Cid, and he didn't plan on being on that side of the bridge again. But on the other hand, he was curious. Something strange _was _going on, and he felt like he needed to know what it was.

Curiosity had always been his strong suit.

"I'll take you to my house right now," he replied, "Er, after I sign out, I mean."

"When will that be?" the boy pressed, looking at The Marshal inpatiently.

"In a few seconds," Cid smiled, "I'll pull a few strings."


	10. Chapter 10

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 10

* * *

Pret looked up as his door noisily swung open to reveal a figure, who strode into the room calmly; Nikades. The sorcerer was wearing black robes as always, but he was visible in the light that shone in brightly through the window behind Pret and his desk.

Pret stood up and and began to quickly put away his papers, he demanded, "Where have you been all of this time? No... forget that. I don't need to know and I don't want to know. Just tell me this: did you accomplish what you set out to do?"

"Yes. Now it is _your _turn to act," Nikades closed the door behind him, which shut with a click that was much louder than Pret thought normal.

"What do I have to do?" Pret queried, suddenly feeling hesitant, he backed around his chair and leaned back on the windersill behind him.

"How many soldiers do you have in your guard?" Nikades took a step forward, nearing the desk, "Not an exact number, an estimate will do."

"I would say I have about one hundred of them. Why?" Pret asked, disliking his situation even more.

"You're going to defend good old Truce, Pret, my pet."

Pret was taken aback by Nikades' idea, he vaulted up from his sitting position on the window "What? Defend Guardia? Why would I do that? That's not my goal!"

"Maybe if you would listen to what I would do to help you, you would understand. Would you listen or do you feel like ranting a bit more?"

Pret calmed down, stepping away from the window, "What? What is it?"

Nikades walked around the desk and toward the now vacant window. He drew his hood back and put his hands behind his back. He stopped at the window and looked outside toward the north while Pret waited impatiently.

"There is about to be an invasion on the king. If you were there to defend the city, the king would gain your trust. I would then use my powers to increase that trust somewhat. You would be his right-hand man. And since his daughter is gone, you would be the next in line for the throne were something to happen to him."

"Why don't I just take the throne from him? Why be sly about it, be secretive?" Pret asked, amazed at how fast his plans were being torn up and reworked.

"If you just took the throne, do you think the people would like you very much?" Nikades demanded, "Even your very own guard would leave you. But if you usurp the government slowly, no one will care until it's too late."

"...Fine, but who will be invading our king?" Pret asked putting a vile emphasis on the word 'king'.

"That is for my knowledge, after all it is my purpose. You will find out soon enough. Now... will you do this?"

"I-Umm..." Pret began, thinking over the plan again.

If Pret could win, he would own Guardia. However, if his advisor was lying and he lost, he would be killed. Pret thought about it. Ambition against common sense. Greed against fear.

As always, ambition and greed won.

"I'll do it," Pret said finally.

"Good. Good," Nikades said, stepping back from the window and back around the desk, "I will have to leave again to collect the invasion army. With your leave..."

"Go," Pret said retrieving his papers.

Nikades went to the door, reaching to open it. He stopped as Pret gave his final words.

"Nikades. If you trick me in this, I will kill you before I die, before I take my fall from grace. Remember that before you think of betraying me."

Nikades nodded and opened the door. As he left a smile flitted across his face. _Grace indeed..._

x x x x x

"Let me out!"

The Marshal yelled again, but to no avail. Ever since he had been thrown to this strange world, he had been locked up in here. 'Here' was a small room with a bed and a door. Nothing else. Grey walls and a door. He felt like he was in a prison. There was little light, though he didn't need any anyway. There were other ways for him to see. The window was barred, there was no escape from that exit. The door was locked. No escape there either.

He beat his hand on the door and went back to his bed. He began to think about how to escape. He also thought about whether this was worth the gold he had been paid. He must have been behind the counter too long, he was getting rusty.

Well, no more. It was time for him to take his turn...

x x x x x

"We can't just leave him in there, can we?" Cid demanded of an adamant three.

They were in Cid's house talking about what to do with The Marshal. Cid's room was dormitorial, but it was suitable. There was plenty of food and there was a place to rest. Most importantly, there were chairs to sit in while they talked. Lab equipment was in the room next to where they were sitting, and Lucca seemed to look in that direction every minute.

The Marshal had been placed in Cid's guestroom, which was virtually empty of anything he might be able to use to free himself. Then again, they had forgotten to search him, but they didn't bother now, as it was obvious he was awake.

"No, we can't," Marle finally said reluctantly, "but he is a bounty hunter. If we release him, he'll nab me and try to leave."

Crono leaned forward, "Where could he go? I mean, how good is he?"

"He's the best as far as everyone else is concerned. I don't know why my father would be so desperate to bring me back." Marle answered.

"Maybe he finally noticed that his soldiers weren't doing any good." Lucca said jokingly.

"Who is this guy?," Cid asked finally, "Some sort of kidnapper for hire?"

"He's a mercenary," Marle answered, "He's got a bit of a past, though, and it'd take too long to explain."

"Well, I'm the outsider in all this, I'll go get some drinks while you talk about it, okay?" Cid stood up and left while the others continued to discuss The Marshal's fate.

"Why would he be foolish enough to jump into unknown territory just to get me?" Marle asked.

Crono shrugged and replied, "Maybe your father is more desperate than we think. Maybe he paid this Marshal a lot of money. A _lot_."

"But he's supposed to be retired," Marle argued, "He shouldn't even be accepting jobs."

"I repeat," Crono answered, "The Marshal was obviously paid a very large sum."

"We still need to decide if and when to release him," Lucca cut in.

Cid returned with the drinks. He gave one to each of them, then took his usual seat to listen in again.

"Cid," Crono suddenly asked, "Have you ever heard of Lavos?"

"Umm...", Cid mumbled, shaking his head, "No. Who is he?"

"Nevermind. Just checking something," Crono replied with a quick smile.

Cid sipped at his drink. When he was done he asked, "Now why don't you answer my question about where you came from?"

"Do we?" Crono looked at the other two briefly, who both shrugged.

Lucca shook her head, "We owe him that much, he's helping us; we should be able to give him our side of this."

"Okay. I guess you're trustworthy," Marle shrugged, "Tell him."

Lucca told the story. She told of the building of The Gatekeeper and Nikades stealing it from her. Then the intervention with The Marshal and their escape. To the future.

Cid looked at her as if she was joking, "You're from a thousand years in the past?"

"999 years to be exact," Crono said calmly.

"Well don't be exact, I'm confused enough as it is..." Cid retorted; he stood up so suddenly that his drink tipped over and spilled on the table. The others looked at him warily. He stumbled around confused, trying to find out what to do. His stumbling became a nervous pacing.

"You're going to hurt yourself," Lucca said, taking another drink.

Cid stopped and looked at them. Finally, he said, "But I though that technology was extremely low in the Medieval Ages."

"Medieval Ages?" Lucca asked.

"That was you timeframe. The time of kings." Cid replied.

"Our technology wasn't as much as it is now, but we had some. I'm an inventor... So is my dad." Lucca said, "In fact he built most of the stuff. I was just beginning my inventive stage."

"There's someone I know that is also trying to build a time machine. He's nowhere close, though. Maybe you could tell him..." Cid said slowly, "His name's Nabat."

"No," Lucca said adamantly, "I wouldn't allow time travel to fall in anyone elses hands... in fact, with what we've been in recently, I probably shouldn't allow myself to play with time."

"Would you at least like to meet him?" Cid pressed.

"No," Crono finally said, "take us to The Marshal. We're going to release him... And then we need to find out how we're gonna return to our time."

"Okay," Cid nodded, ceasing his pacing as they stood, "Fine."

"So you actually believe us?" Lucca asked suddenly, "Just like that."

"I have reasons..." Cid said, "Let's just say I can be a bit openminded to certain circumstances."

"Why?" Marle inquired.

"My secret," Cid said in a tone that sounded humorous, though he wasn't smiling.


	11. Chapter 11

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 11

* * *

Nikades activated The Gatekeeper once more. A gate appeared after a few seconds, a small flowing circle that expanded. This one had an orangish-red hue however, not the blue it had been during the test run. It seemed to pulse with energy as an aura of red surrounded it. A slight breezing noise erupted from its abyssal depths.

Nikades drew a coin from his pocket and held it out. He studied it for a second. Both sides were the same. There was a strange face on them. Nikades threw the coin into the gate. It disappeared into the folds of the dimension without so much as a sound.

It was a ready sign. And Nikades was ready. So was Pret. And soon his 'army' would be too. Those he sent for.

The king wasn't ready. Too bad for Guardia.

x x x x x

Pret had his small army ready at the edge of the town of Porre. He was waiting for the signal. He was becoming impatient however. Nikades was late and the soldiers shifted with the massive strength and concentration it took for them to do absolutely nothing.

They were unaware of their orders at the moment, Pret would keep it that way until he recieved clarification. He would hate to order the march only to find Nikades had to wait until a few days later.

A voice finally entered his head, "Are you ready?"

Pret looked around shocked for a second. He hadn't expected the signal in this way. No one else could hear the dark one's voice however, as the soldiers remained at attention, unwavering. Pret turned away from the army, smiling at the crafty advisor. "Yes," he whispered.

"Good."

"What is the full plan?" Pret asked impatiently.

"Kill the king," said the voice mockingly.

"I know that," Pret said, "but if he dies, then Nadia will succeed him. Or one of the other nobles."

There was a silence then the voice spoke again, "It will be a war. Kill the nobles and no one will be able to see you do it. Except the nobles, but I don't really think that they will go and tattle to the king."

"No, I don't believe they would," Pret mused, "And Nadia?"

"Leave her to me."

Then, before Pret could make a snappy reply, the voice was gone.

Pret turned to his men, "Let's move out. We're here to save the king, who is in danger. My spies have informed me earlier that a strong movement from Medina is heading west. The mystics are invading Guardia."

No one asked questions. They were good soldiers.

Instead, they marched north.

x x x x x

Cid and the three went to the room that The Marshal was in. They stopped in front of it, Cid's hand on the doorknob. He turned to the others, "Are you sure about this?"

"Positive," Crono said, though he was fingering his sword nervously.

"Almost positive," Lucca corrected.

"Neutral," Marle remarked.

Cid shrugged and opened the door, twisting the knob slowly. He didn't know anything about the man in there, but from what the others were doing and saying, it wasn't just the average stalker.

The door swung open to reveal an empty room. Empty except for a small pile of rubble that used to be part of the far wall. Only a large man could do such a considerable amount of damage.

"He's loose," Marle said, stating what was obvious.

"I think you might be correct," Crono said, his jaw held open at the display of destruction that he now surveyed.

Marle glared at him as Lucca said, "Let's go to Plan B."

"What's that?" Cid asked, looking around nervously.

"Plan B is we think of a Plan C." Lucca said looking around warily, "quickly."

"Where would he go? He could be anywhere," Crono said uneasily.

"You didn't have to say that, Crono," Lucca said, slowly backing up to the door.

"We're not going to get much sleep tonight," Marle said sadly, slumping to the ground.

x x x x x

"So do we have a Plan B, yet?" Crono asked Lucca impatiently.

"You know what Crono? I almost had it ready, but that sudden interruption made me forget it completely. Now shut up and let me think!" Lucca snapped back irritably.

Marle's remark had been made true. They didn't get much sleep that night. They were all tense and irritable. Waiting for the sudden attack from a man that only Marle truly knew something about. It was now morning and they were trying to think of what to do next. Hunt for The Marshal or try and get back to the past.

"Besides," Lucca continued, "It's plan C, not B."

"Whatever," Crono rolled his eyes.

Lucca began pacing again and Crono sighed in defeat. Marle was still asleep and Cid was trying to explain to the insurance company that a car had hit the wall and caused the hole in his room. He wasn't having any luck.

Suddenly, Lucca stopped pacing and looked up, "I think I have it," she said.

"Yep, I'm sure you do; now what is it?" Crono asked, trying to keep the sarcasm down.

"We need to find another time gate to take us back. We can't bother searching for The Marshal. He left us, so we leave him."

Crono looked at Lucca for a second, dumbfounded, and then said quietly and slowly, "So it took you a whole six hours to think of that?"

"I spent most of that time contemplating on whether to find The Marshal or not."

"Are we e-" Crono began.

Crono went silent as Cid entered the room looking none too happy. He was muttering something under his breath. He went into the kitchen and began rummaging through a cabinet.

"Okay fine. That's a great idea, Lucca," Crono said, "But where could we find a gate, much less how could we activate it? You can't build the Gatekeeper. You don't even remember how."

"Is your brain muddled, Crono," Lucca replied, "I can build a gatekey. I know how to build one of those. Remember the gatekey from when we were fighting Lavos?"

Cid dropped something and looked in their direction. However, he regained his composure and quickly bent over and picked it up to resume what he was doing.

"Of course I remember... Wait!" Crono nearly jumped from where he was sitting, "If you can build one of those, we could use it to open up the gate the Gatekeeper created!" Crono was suddenly excited.

"No, we can't," Lucca said calmly, "If we do we'll be stuck in limbo."

Crono gave her a blank look. Behind him, Marle began to groan, awakened by Crono's sudden outburst and jostle.

"To use a gate, both sides must be open. The gatekeeper only opens its side when it needs it," Lucca explained, "That way it can create gates to other times. I mean, you can't have more than one gate opened at the same spot, can you?"

Crono started to understand, so he kept quiet. Cid walked into the room looking a little relieved. He was holding a bottle of something. He gave it a quick shake and something rattled within.

"What's that?" Crono inquired.

"Aspirin," Cid replied, upending the bottle, which rattled again as tiny pellets danced around in it and into Cid's mouth.

Crono turned back to Lucca, "Then where can we find a gate?"

"Lavos." she said.

"But Lavos died. We killed him two years ago. He doesn't exist."

Cid was looking a little panicky. He tried to cover up his expression by returning to the kitchen and throwing away the now empty bottle.

"But he was still there for half an hour. If we go to where we killed him, there might be a gate," Lucca explained, "Remember, his very _presence _could create a rip in time, Crono. I just build a gatekey, and we search the area."

"But the gates all closed. There isn't one." Crono was angry that he couldn't see her point.

"The _old _ones are shut down. But what about the new ones. As in the one in the Reptites remains or the one in the cave in the Zeal era. Or more importantly, the one in this time. The one that quite possibly exists where Lavos arose from the earth." Lucca stood up and began pacing as she spoke.

Crono looked stunned. He finally said, "I think you're right. Maybe... just maybe that gate does exist."

"Of course I'm right, I'm... Are you all right Cid?" Lucca cocked her head at Cid.

Cid was slightly pale in color. He didn't look all too well. He was still in the kitchen, looking across to the group. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, "but that Lavos thing you were talking about, I've heard that name."

"You have?" Lucca asked. She sat back down slowly, waiting for Cid to continue.

Crono and Marle also crowded nearer to hear what Cid had to say.

Cid coughed, "Yeah... I've heard it a lot. And I think it'll be a little harder to just waltz in there like you said."

Crono stared at Cid, "What do you mean?"


	12. Chapter 12

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 12

* * *

King Guardia sat on his throne in worry. His daughter was still missing, despite the fact that he had the best to go after her. Something was wrong and he could sense it very acutely. The sudden problems with the Mystics, the fact that The Marshal was slow. The problems. The monsters. The problems. His missing daughter. The problems. Everything seemed to be falling apart.

He slumped down into the chair and thought about what he would have to say to her when she came back, when Nadia returned. _If she came back._The king tried to stay away from thoughts like that but found that he couldn't. Still, she had returned from all of her other escapades. It was just a matter of time until she returned from this.

_It was only a matter of time when something happened to her..._

The king angrily shoved the thoughts out of his mind, he didn't have time to worry. However, before he could regain his original speculations, the chancellor and captain of the guard both burst into the room. The chancellor looked very pale and even the captain seemed stunned.

The king stood up rigidly, preparing to vent his rage on a good target, "What is it this time?"

The duo stopped before his desk, giving a glance at each other. Finally, the chancellor spoke. "I don't know where this came from or why...but-"

"It came so suddenly, I just don't know what-" the captain cut in, his voice obviously strained, he being out of breath.

"Don't interrupt me!" the chancellor nudged him.

"It would help if you would tell me the news, first. Preferably one at a time." the king said impatiently, though he hated to hear bad news, "I don't have time for jabbering."

"There's an invasion in Truce from the Mystics, Your Majesty!" the captain said in a rush as the chancellor opened his mouth to speak.

The chancellor's mouth shut, the news was already said. He thought about giving the captain an even harder nudge, but realized the king might bite his head off. It probably wouldn't help matters anyway.

The king stared at the two as if they were joking, then hit the desk and began pacing around it, "When did this start?" he finally asked.

"Considering the distance that the news travelled, I'd say that Truce was attacked about half an hour ago, Your Majesty." the chancellor said hesitantly.

"Why would the Mystics attack us?" the king asked.

The two messengers answered him with silence.

"Let's get to Truce quickly then," the king stepped towards the door, grabbing the two men and dragging them out of the room.

_Nadia, where are you?_ the king thought to himself, shutting the door behind him, _First my trial, and now this. Why are you never there when I could truly use your company?_

x x x x x

"Sir, they've completely taken the harbour!" a soldier yelled over the din of battle.

The officer being yelled at turned to the voice. He quickly spotted the messenger and gave his orders, "Fall back into the town! Get the civilians out of the city and move them toward the castle! We'll use guerilla maneuvers until reinforcements arrive!"

The messenger saluted and ran to deliver the orders. The officer nodded briefly, then turned back to the carnage. It was close to nighttime and soon, if it wasn't for the fires, he wouldn't be able to see very much.

The opposition had to be Mystics. They weren't human and they looked monster-like. But if the Mystics had attacked wouldn't they be swarmed by imps? There was something strange about this, but the officer couldn't place his finger on it. They looked almost like...demons from his nightmares. Four legged dog-like beasts with glaring red and black eyes. And sharp teeth and claws. He had never seen Mystics like this...

Suddenly, a cheer erupted from the south, breaking the commander out of his revery. He turned to see reinforcements coming, from Porre. _Porre's a good ways away, they reacted fairly fast..._He shook the though out of his head, merely thankful for the help.

"It's about damn time," the officer said turning back to the battle.

The harbour was a wreck; the ships that hadn't left fast enough were ablaze and the docks were also burning. Bodies were strewn about, some floating in the water. The wave of monsters had reached the city, where people were fleeing in mass hysteria. The soldiers formed a line to defend the people. That line was quickly torn apart by the frenzied creatures. However the sacrifice proved useful as the civilians fled to safety.

But casualties would be higher if this wasn't stopped.

The reinforcements finally reached the battle and the tide of victory slowly and obviously changed. The monsters were pushed back, though they refused to retreat. However a phalanx of soldiers were waiting behind the mass. The Mystics were neatly boxed in and systematically crushed. However, the beasts refused to flee, as if they didn't care about death.

The officer walked away from where he had been surveying the battle and went towards the commander of the forces that had come to help.

"Just in time, it seems," he said extending his gauntleted hand toward the other.

The officer from Porre turned his head toward the officer. He slowly removed his helmet and held it at his hip with one hand. He nodded to the other officer.

Pret extended his free hand and shook it with the officer's.

x x x x x

"Well, I see what you mean," Crono said turning away from the view and back to the group, "It looks inassailable to me, too."

They were ducked behind a set of ration crates that had been stacked up against a perimeter fence surrounding a military base. Soldiers were patrolling the outer gates, ensuring no trespassers. The gates were part of the high barbwire fence that encircled the encampment. No trespassers indeed.

"So that's where Lavos came up when we defeated him?" Lucca asked Cid.

"I guess so. When the... calamity occurred, all the people who came to investigate only saw a large crater. They had suspected a meteor," Cid shuffled, finding a comfortable position to sit, then continued, "However, the government knew that there had been no meteors that night. Their satellites had detected no space debris of any kind entering and passing through our atmosphere. Or, at least nothing large enough to create a crater that size.

"The government investigated the place. All research was classified. After a while, they changed their status and stated that it had indeed been a meteor. Days later, this military installation began to be constructed. People named the place 'Lavos Crater' based on a name leaked from a source in the government. Project Lavos became the name of the base."

Crono made a half smile, "So the government still lies and hides things?"

Marle looked indignified, "Hey! Still? I can safely say my father has no 'cover-ups'."

"If he can't tell his own daughter, they must be grand indeed," Crono responded.

"Shhh! quiet!" Lucca whispered harshly, "You do know that they can hear us, don't you?"

Cid was staring at Marle with a startled expression, obviously not prepared to be in the presence of royalty. Marle noticed this, and shook her head, "Don't stare at me," Marle whispered to him, "So I forgot some of the details. It doesn't matter right now. I'll tell you later."

Cid looked away, facing the base again, "Whatever you say."

"So, putting talks of prestige and pathological liars aside, how do we get in there?" Lucca asked Cid, who was still looking at the guards standing at the gate.

"Ummm... I'm still working on that."

"Great," Crono moaned.

"Don't you have any access or anything, Cid?" Lucca pressed.

"Not here. I helped design the computer programs. Nothing else. This is top secret, grade-A, government stuff."

"Darn," Marle said, leaning her head back against the crate she was against.

Crono looked at Lucca, "Got a plan D?" he asked her.

She looked him in the eye, and shook her head. Then suddenly, began beaming at him with an overexaggerated smile, "As a matter of fact, I do."


	13. Chapter 13

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 13

* * *

The invaders were finally defeated, the last one dying by the sword of those it mindlessly attacked. The monsters had fought to the death, no sign of retreat in their movements, almost as if they didn't fear death. The very last had seemed intent on killing everything around it, despite the odds.

After the reinforcements had arrived it had become a slaughter. The cheering from the winners could be heard loudly from the hill the two leaders stood on. The two victorious generals finished shaking hands and turned back to their soldiers. Orders for clean-up and repair had to be made.

Suddenly, there was a shout from the ranks. Inaudible at first to the two, it soon became obvious as the words were repeated throughout the waves of soldiers: "The King!" Heads were turning to the west and fingers eagerly pointed. The king was indeed arriving. An escort of the royal guard surrounded him and the chancellor as they rode toward the hill where Pret and the officer stood.

The procession stopped grandly, each in the group stopping as if it was one thing. The king looked about, finally spotting the two he would have to speak with. He slowly dismounted his horse, handing the reigns to the guardsman beside him. He was still wearing his regal outfit, minus the flaring robe, which would have only gotten in his way. He sighed deeply and walked over to the two commanders.

"Is the battle over, yet?" he asked.

"Yes, it has, Your Majesty," one of the commanders spoke, "The beasts were killed to the last... The very last."

The king gave a scrutinous gaze to the speaker, recognizing him at once. The king appeared shocked for a quick moment at seeing the noble of Porre beating him to the battle but he recovered quickly with a grave nod.

The king turned to the other officer, "And you are...?"

"Captain Williams," the officer replied with a small almost unnoticable bow.

"Well, Captain Williams; I will have to talk with you and Nobleman Pret about this battle. If you will come with me, we can discuss what happened."

The king turned, walking towards an area where a small tent was quickly being set up. The two followed him, already knowing where this was going.

x x x x x

"...So it was the Mystics that sent that... horde against us? Magically created, you say?" the king tilted his head at Pret.

They were seated in the makeshift tent that had been erected not far from the battlefield, what used to be part of Truce. Guards posted outside made sure there were no eavesdroppers or trespassers.

"That is what my spy told me, Your Grace," Pret replied, cooly; the lie fully created in his head.

"Ah...I see," the king conceded, leaning back in his chair.

The king still didn't trust the man, but there had been no flaw in his story. And from what Williams had said, it must be true.

"Your Majesty?" Pret asked.

The king broke from his ponderings and looked at Pret, "Yes?"

"I believe that we must counterattack the Mystics. They had attacked us numerous times in the past, and this recent attack is the final straw in my opinion," Pret leaned forward in his seat, putting his arms on the table, "This recent attack was fully unprovoked. We should be at peace with them."

Williams sat by quietly. He had told about the battle, his job was now done. Politics was something a soldier was trained to avoid. He listened on however, as these 'behind-the-curtain' things always did intrigue him.

"So now you are giving orders to the king?" Guardia asked in a quiet voice.

"No, no-no, Your Majesty," Pret drew back in shock, "just my opinion. I have seen many humans and friends die in this fight. If you were to look outside, you may even see the bodies of friends of yourself. The Mystics are obviously responsible for this and I don't take kindly to having friends and allies killed by backstabbers."

"Very well. I will send a contact to the Mystics," the king leaned back into his normal position, the wooden seat creaking under him, "If they are indeed hostile, we will have to initiate an attack."

"If it would please Your Majesty, may I send the contact? I still have spies in Medina that could act as emissaries. They could tell of a plot in a second."

"I..." the king began thinking, "I'm not sure..."

"Your Majesty?" Pret asked.

"Yes, what is it Pret?" Guardia broke from his thinking.

"Trust me on this one. You need all the men you can offer in the pickup. I have men in Porre that are too far away to help the reconstruction, but can reach Porre in a blink."

"Oh...very well, Pret. You're right."

"Your Majesty?" Williams asked, hearing all he wished to hear, "May I request leave?"

"Yes you may, Captain. Thank you for the information," Guardia waved his hand toward the exit of the tent.

"You're welcome, Your Majesty," Williams bowed and hurried outside to help his men.

Then Guardia turned to Pret, "This meeting is over. I want you to go send some men to tally the damage and casualties."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Pret bowed as well, "...And then I will send the diplomat."

The king waved him off. When Pret was gone, the king sighed. Somehow, he felt as if he was making a very big mistake.

But he couldn't concentrate on what he was doing. He wondered if Nadia was truly safe.

x x x x x

"You know what? This is stupid!"

"Shut up, Crono," Lucca replied, "It _is not._"

Crono sulked as they drove toward the gates.

Lucca's plan had consisted of taking a patrol of soldiers that had been scouting into captivity. Basically hijacking a jeep. They then took the soldiers uniforms and were going to march right in. Cid would use what little knowledge he had of the compound to allow them to reach the gate. Cid hadn't thought good about the plan, but he had been inclined not to argue with Lucca. He continued to drive down the road.

"You know we're going to get caught," Crono said again.

"Would you shut up! It's going to work. And do you know why?" Lucca asked.

"And why would that be?" Crono asked sarcastically, already knowing the ever present answer.

"Because it's my idea!" Lucca stated matter-of-factly.

"If your ideas are anything like your inventions, then I say again: We're going to get caught. And, since you added that, I'll add this: we're gonna die, too!"

"Do you have a better plan?" Lucca asked in an insulted tone, "You know, since you can find so many flaws in mine and all..."

"Yes, I do. Why don't we all just find the highest point we can and jump to our deaths. That certainly is a lot better than this!" Crono replied in a near hysterical tone, "I mean, at least by jumping off a cliff, we have a small chance of survival... Unlike this."

"Fine. If you're so inclined to jump off high places, you go and do that. Then we'll all be back in our time having a good laugh at your stupidity." Lucca said finishing the argument.

"Do you mind?" Marle asked from behind the two, "I'm pretty sure the gate guards will be within hearing range soon. If you two don't stop arguing, Crono will be right."

Crono and Lucca stopped arguing, but they seemed to be waiting for the right time to continue. Crono changed the subject instead, "Gate guards?"

"Well, whatever you call them," Marle shrugged, "I don't know."

"Sentries," Cid added helpfully.

It was silent the rest of the trip. They reached the gate and Cid produced an identification he had taken from one of the people they had mugged. Well, he thought of it as mugging, though the others had been more 'openminded,' as they put it, in their view. The sentry lazily looked at it quickly and motioned them on through.

"That was close," Lucca said sarcastically as they drove into the outer courtyard, taking a left towards the parking area.

Crono glared at her, she glared right back.

"If all of the guards are as lazy as that, then there'll be no problem in getting to the gate," Marle mused, much to Lucca's ego's delight.

They exitted the jeep, and headed towards the side door of the complex. They stepped in, Cid flashing his ID around like it was the pride and joy of his life; the few guards sitting around ignoring him. They turned down a hallway, then Cid stopped them at an elevator. Cid produced another key that he had taken from one of the waylaid convoy. It fit and the doors opened with a satisfying ding. They entered the elevator and Cid pressed the bottom button. They were going to 'Basement G'.

Marle looked at the settings and said, "That's pretty far down, isn't it?"

"There have been places with deeper holes than this," Cid replied, "But yeah, this is pretty far down."

"Is Basement G where the gate'll be?" Lucca asked.

"Most likely. If I remember, when the 'meteor came, it left a big fat hole in the ground. The military built the base right over and inside the crater. Basement 'G' is at the bottom of the crater in accuality. I don't know why they call it all a basement when it really isn't underground."

"Neat," Lucca said, as she watched the numbers show their descent.

"They also keep an armory here. Don't know why," Cid continued.

"If they know what the gate is, then they'll try and open it. Opening gates to unknown worlds without weapons would be downright crazy," Lucca said, giving an answer to Cid's query, then she added more, "It's good to be prepared."

Crono whistled and spoke, "Armory, you say? Wonder what kind of weapons they've developed over a millennium."

"Don't bet on finding out," Lucca replied.

Cid cut in, "He probably will. The armory will most likely cover a large area. I hear they keep a few tanks down here, too. Excessive, if you ask me, but the military has been known to be paranoid."

"How much do you know about this complex?" Lucca asked.

Before Cid could reply, though, the elevator stopped and the door opened to basement G.


	14. Chapter 14

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 14

* * *

"I see you're quite the tactician, Pret." the king said to the nobleman, as they stared at yet another harbour burning on the coast of the Medinians.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Pret replied, smiling inwardly.

They both reigned their horses and turned to rejoin the army down below, which was celebrating its victory.

The war had gone great for the humans. The harbors were burning, and the Mystics had been totally surprised by the attack. The ones that had managed to flee were cut down by the forces that were flanking them. Only Pret knew why the 'surprise attack' had been so successful.

The Mystics were now making a final stand at the old ruins north of Medina. Refugees and battered armies of the Mystic forces were gathering there, probably hoping they could gather enough to prove a match. The final battle would take place there. And there Pret would make his move.

"What do you say? Should we join in the finale?"

Pret turned to his king. So trusting now. It would be so easy for Pret to cut him down when the final battle occurred.

"Why not?" the monarch replied.

Pret knew an answer to that, an answer in the king's favor. However, it would damper his plans. Pret remained silent on that part.

x x x x x

Merbwa entered Ozzie VIII's tent, replying to a summon by his ruler. "Sir?" he asked.

During the beginning of the raid, the old mayor of Medina had been killed. Ozzie VIII had taken command after that and he had declared that the Mystics would fight against humans yet again, this time for their ultimate freedom. Now was their time to do so. The Mystics had rallied behind him and now their forces were ready for the final confrontation. So spirited were his minions now. Ozzie's forefathers would be proud of him.

Ozzie turned in his chair to face his general, "Yes? What news have the scouts issued?"

"The army from the southeast is approaching fast. Unfortunately, the king himself is leading an army from the northwest. It looks like we're trapped in a vise, sir."

Ozzie was quiet for a minute. Then he slowly stood up and began walking toward the exit, "Let them come."

x x x x x

All was quiet in the Heckran Forest. Silence seemed almost a noise in itself. Birds chirped every now and then, but they seemed to become less frequent as the air grew thicker with the tidings of a last stand. And the tidings of one of the worst battles in history. Then to the south came a steady drumbeat. Footsteps of many marched to the beat of it. Guardia had arrived.

Soon another army massed by the first and the two marched side by side. The beats of each group synchronized and melded together. They were now one army.

The other army sat in waiting, prepared to the utmost for this battle. Ozzie held his signal, wanting the attack to be at the perfect moment.

The human army stopped two hundred yards in front of the ruins. The drums and footsteps stopped. Quiet returned. The king sat atop his horse, in full battle gear. A sword was in his sheath, though his hand was ever ready to pull it out if necessary. Beside him sat Pret, also astride a charger. Pret wore chain mail and a sword. His shining helmet bore the appearance of the face of a dragon, he had a taste for flair.

Behind the two were soldiers, five thousand strong. A fifth of these men were calvary. The calvary made up the front line, their horses pawing the ground in anticipation of the emminent battle. Behind them marched the infantry. Each bearing a sword and shield, prepared for battle.

In the back were the archers. Bows in their hands, ready to fire at the king's command.

The king raised his right hand, giving a command to those behind him. The archers each pulled back an arrow on their bows. From the forest came nothing. Men looked into it left and right. No enemy could be seen.

Finally the king yelled out, "Where are you cowards? Show yourselves and fight... or surrender to Guardia!"

There was a moment of silence, then a voice came from the forest, "What makes you think we Mystics would ever surrender to humanity? We are our own people, we have our own personal codes. Bowing before murderers is not one of them!"

There came a cheer from the forest in reply to the declaration. The cheer eminated from all around the army, the forest seeming to shimmer and shake in the noise as if it was alive. Men looked franticallly into the surrounding forest that had so suddenly turned against them, but no faces showed themselves. Horses began to become agitated and they neighed and backed up, the need to bolt rising in them.

Finally the yelling died down. Quiet returned. The quiet before the storm was the thought in every soldiers head. That thought made them ready themselves for what might be their last fight.

The king trotted his horse forward. He stopped after five feet. He was standing alone in the front of the mass, "Very well. Then you will die!"

After another long silence the voice returned. It was clear in what it said... and what it intended, "You first."

The king suddenly noticed that he was in danger. He tried to turn his horse, but too late.

Arrows struck him from all directions. The king dropped his upheld hand, a signal for the archers to fire. He then fell from his horse and men rushed forward to protect their king. They formed a circle around him and began to drag him away. The horse was also hit with arrows and it fell to the ground, an omen to the fate of the king.

The archers released their arrows in answer to the king's signal. The arrows flew into the forest, striking trees and random Mystics. After the first volley had subsided, there was another warcry from the forest. Then the mass of Mystics surged out of the forest. The King's army was surrounded.

_Funny,_ the king thought as he was carried to safety, _During this whole war, I haven't as much as caught one glimpse of those new Mystics._

Then he was unconscious.

The battle had become a last stand, after all. But it was the humans who were in trouble. Without a king, they were heavily demoralized; and they were surrounded as well. The two armies surged into each other and met in a synchronous act of war. Then chaos reigned as men were thrown from their horses, swords were swung, arrows were shot, and the dying began again on both sides.

x x x x x

"Hmmm...no more guards," Crono said to himself as the four walked through the halls of the lower level.

"How perceptive," Lucca replied sarcastically, "You might also add something equally intelligent, like 'the floor is white.'"

Crono remained silent, but glared at her.

Cid eyed the two, but he wasn't worried as much as he had at first been. He had been around them enough to know that the constant arguing was all for fun; possibly an act of one-upsmanship. He didn't try and stop them, arguing wasn't his forte.

They walked down the empty halls toward double doors that loomed at the opposite end. The walls and ceiling were tinged with the grey that usually means metal. It was all steel, to be specific. Even the doors were made of steel. Whatever went on down here, they didn't want anything escaping.

"There aren't any guards down here because they don't suspect that anyone would make it this far in the first place." Cid said finally.

"Well that's almost as stupid as this plan," Crono said giving Lucca another glare, "the security is pretty much worthless, though. We made it in here too easily."

This time it was Lucca's turn to ignore. Cid decided to continue, "They spent a large amount of the budget on the actual building of this thing; not to mention the armoury. Security's light because they can't afford it on a stressed budget."

"Yep, stupid," Crono nodded, and Lucca agreed.

They reached the doors at the far end of the hall and stopped. On a sign above them read the word: Armoury. Crono was elated. Cid pushed on the door, but it was locked. On the side of the door was a electronic doorlock. He pulled out the passkey and put it in the door lock. Nothing happened. Aparently they had 'hijacked' some low-key soldiers.

"Great!" Cid declared, "What do we do now?"

Lucca thought about it, "Could we force the doors open somehow?"

"No..." Cid shook his head, then he brightened, "Wait! I can do this."

The others stood back as Cid examined the lock. Held in by 4 screws. He carefully inserted the corner of the passkey into the niche of the top of the screw, and turned. The card was too flimsy, and Cid pulled it back.

"Does anybody else have something more solid?" he asked, feeling around in his pockets. The others shook their heads. "Great," he exclaimed, "Why didn't I ever bother getting a pocketknife?"

Then another idea struck him. He quickly took off his glasses and looked them over. They were wireframe, but very sturdy. He stuck the hook of the earpiece into the niche and turned again. The frame began to bend and Cid began to fear it was too flimsy as well; then suddenly the screw began to turn. Cid reached in and began unscrewing the loosened bit with his hands and seconds later it was out.

"One," he said, going for the next.

When he was finished, he put his mangled glasses back on and reached out to slowly pulled out the lock. Wires connecting it with the wall came out with it. "Hold this," Cid said giving the mechanism to Crono, "and don't press any buttons!"

Cid reached inside the new hole and began to pull out certain wires as Crono examined his new toy. He stripped the sealing off of two wires and crossed them with the precision of someone who had done this before. There was a small beeping noise from the pice in Crono's hand and the doors opened.

Crono carefully handed the lock back to Cid, who replaced it in its rightful spot, only putting the screws halfway back in. His glasses had already taken enough beating. Then they entered the armoury.

"Good job," Lucca said to Cid as they entered, "You'll have to teach me that trick someday."

Cid hastily nodded back at her, "Anytime... Uh, you aren't gonna burglarize anybody are you?"

Lucca let out a girlish laugh and walked through the doors, "Nah, but if you want me to, I could."

"Uhh... Not really," Cid stammered, caught off guard.

"I was just kidding, Cid," Lucca said, giggling again.

Cid smiled back, "Good."

When they were all through the doors shut and the panel beeped again, locking it.

Crono didn't notice. The armoury was all he saw, "Wow," he said, awestruck.

Marle leaned over to Lucca and whispered, "We'll probably have to knock him out to get him out of here, you know."

Lucca nodded.

All along the left wall were tanks, lined up and numbering five. The right wall contained racks that held guns of all kinds, weapons for the serious warmonger. In the middle was a huge circle carved into the floor, an elevator pedestal for the tanks. Above it was another circle, this one a hole. It would lead all the way to the surface, obviously.

Crono slowly walked over to one of the guns and was about to pick it up, but Cid intervened, "You don't want to touch one of these, they're dangerous," he reminded.

"I know," Crono said matter-of-factly, trying to reach around Cid for a moment. After a few seconds, he finally stopped and began sulking about.

"What are those?" Lucca asked, indicating the tanks.

"Those?" Cid asked, following her hand, "Tanks. Large land vehicles, that are near invincible to normal guns. All terrain... 40mm cannon... all of that fun stuff."

"They have all that?" she asked.

"I don't really know," Cid shrugged with a small smile, "I'm just guessing, I don't know anything about these things."

"Can we take one with us?" Crono asked, "I really don't think the army'd notice... all that much."

"Ummm..." Cid thought, "I don't think the government would approve."

"Too bad." Marle said, lying through her teeth.

"Show's over, folks," Lucca said suddenly, beginning to herd the other three out toward the other door, "Let's go look at exhibit B. Next door please. Everyone out."

They walked over through the armoury's exit which wasn't locked oddly enough. They came out in another hall, this one being just as drab and uncolorful as the other.

The door on the other side however, said something different than armoury, however. It read 'Project Lavos'.

The door was locked, but this time Cid was prepared. He ran back to the armoury, picking a survival knife off of one of the racks by the guns. He carried it back to the expectant trio. He made quick work of the support once more, then crossed the wires and replaced the console quickly. He was getting better at this. He casually pocketed the knife behind the backs of the other three and followed them in. _Just in case,_he told himself.

In the room were computer consoles. It looked like hundreds of them, lined up along the two side walls, and a circle of them in the middle of the room. All of them flickered with life, however there was no one in the room with them. At the far end of the room was a large window that was basically the whole wall.

Crono looked around uneasily, "You know, this has been way too easy."

Cid shrugged as he walked through the room, "I don't really mind if it's easy."

"Neither do I," Lucca replied, "but it's usually a bad omen."

Cid walked over to the glass window on the other side of the room, and casually peered through. Crono contented himself with walking around the room, glancing at the computer screens. However, he couldn't make out the flashing numbers and codes passing by his eyes.

"So this is the Lavos project," Crono said angrily, "No gate, no Lavos. Nothing but high tech computer equipment."

"I wouldn't bet on that," Cid said from across the room, "Have a look-see over here."

The others quickly ran to the window and looked through with Cid. What they was was a surprise. They peered downward to see a large room filled with soldiers and technicians of all sorts. Which explained why the computer room was currently empty. They were about two stories, or around 40 feet, up above it, so they could see everything below them quite easily.

The first thing to grab their eyes was a gate in the center of the room. It was deactivated and simply sat there, dark and boring. Numerous scientists and lab experts were around it taking notes on clipboards, some talking into recorders.

"How are we going to get through that?" Marle asked indicating the soldiers, around fifty in number.

Lucca simply smiled, "Plan E," she said calmly.

"What would that be?" Crono asked rolling his eyes, "We waltz in there and waylay all of them?"

"Don't look so glum, pal," Lucca said, patting Crono on the back," you're gonna love this plan!"


	15. Chapter 15

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 15

* * *

"Protect the king!" Pret yelled over the din of the fighting, although his heart obviously wasn't in protecting the king.

The plan had been changed slightly, but to Pret's advantage. He didn't have to kill any king now, the Mystics had done him a favor. A big favor.

"Thank you," he stated casually to the imp before him, seconds before he hacked the confused thing with his sword.

He still had to dispose of his competition of successors, though. The Mystics could miss them by accident. He couldn't have that. He spurred his horse through the battle, looking for his first target.

There were humans and mystics mixed together in the fray, it had become very confusing. The humans had at first taken brutal casualties when the hordes had come pouring out of the forest. But now with chaos in command, both sides were taking huge casualties and it was deadlocked.

Pret shrugged. That suited him fine. Just as long as the king didn't survive. A person can always get a new army. But to gain the throne was a once in a lifetime chance, if even that.

Pret finally spied out the nobleman of Truce fighting a group of imps. He was on foot, apparently he had lost his horse. Pret tried to remember the name, which finally came back to him. Godfrey.

_Well, old Godfrey would just have to be a casualty, wouldn't he?_ Pret thought to himself, smiling.

Pret slashed at a hench that had come too close to his horse. The thing fell down with a clean cut across its chest. Pret kicked his horse into a slight run towad Godfrey. He swung his sword around to keep the mystics away from him as he neared the competition.

Godfrey looked up at him, expecting help. He kicked one of the imps he had just killed out of the way and turned his back to Pret to cleave at another. The imp jumped out of the way of the swing and dived for a counterattack. It impaled itself on Godfrey's sword.

"Nice form," Pret said to his back.

Godfrey turned to Pret to answer him. Pret raised his sword and then heaved it downward into Godfrey's chest.

Godfrey looked at Pret in a state of shock as blood began to flow out of the fatal wound. His hands raised up to grasp the sword in a useless gesture. He tried to pull it out, but his strength was failing too fast.

"Traitor!" it sounded almost like a question, Pret couldn't tell, though, there was too much noise for it to be fully audible, "You..."

Godfrey coughed and blood began to pour out of his mouth. He struggled to wrest the sword out of him for a moment longer, then he finally gave up and slumped down, falling to the ground.

A soldier behind him suddenly yelled, "You traitor!"

Pret spun quickly to see a sword descending at him quickly. He threw up his sword in a meager defense that couldn't possibly stop the attack. Then suddnely the soldier was thrown to the ground, being tackled by a Mystic. The Mystic raised its weapon and stabbed the witness.

_A silent witness._

Pret looked at his sword for a moment before turning back to the battle. He began to order commands for retreating.

He was going to have to survive to gain control. And one doesn't survive by fighting uneven odds.

x x x x x

The king opened his eyes to view the top of a small tent. There was a doctor hovering over him saying something he couldn't hear.

"Wha...?" the king asked groggily.

The doctor said something else that the king couldn't hear. The world started to fade into black and white...

The king shook his head, trying to clear away the spots. Noise began to enter his ears and he could see clearly again.

The doctor had turned away from him.

The king raised his hand, "Doctor?"

The medic turned back to the king, "I told you not to move, Your Majesty. You need to heal."

"I'm not going to heal. These wounds," he said indicating the bandages covering his torso, "don't look very li-...light to me."

Guardia started coughing as he finished talking.

"You're going to heal, Your Majesty-"

"Don't be so stupid," the king snapped, which caused another coughing fit.

Before the doctor could reply, a messenger entered the tent. He hurried over to where the king lay.

"Excuse me, doctor, but I've been sent here to tell you that we are retreating. We've got to get out of here."

"Retreating? Are we losing?" the king asked in a hoarse voice.

"No, Your Majesty, but we are taking heavy losses. Nobleman Pret ordered the retreat shortly after Maray and Godfrey were cut down in battle."

"Maray is...dead?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. And Godfrey, too."

"Damn it all! Not only have my mistakes cost me my own life, but others too!"

"You're not going to die," the doctor said reflexively.

The king ignored him, "If they ever find my daughter, she will succeed me. If she is eternally lost...then Pret is the only one that can take my place. The Guardia line will end with... end with me. If that is so."

The king started coughing again, the pain becoming much worse. The messenger looked crossly at the doctor.

"Don't just stand there, you idiot; get this place ready to move!"

The doctor went out of his shock as the messenger ran out of the tent.

The sound of battle continued outside.

x x x x x

"Are we ready now, soldier?" the general half-asked, half-yelled to one of the uniformed men standing around him.

"Almost sir!" the soldier replied.

They were standing in the room known only by the army as Project Lavos. The room was about 200 yards long and about half as wide. Inside was where the government's most trusted men and women studied the phenomena that had been dubbed mysteriously 'Project Lavos'.

Besides the fifty or so people inside the room, there were several computers aligned along the side wall. There two scientists recorded changes and discoveries during the experiments.

The room was also very tall. It reached about three stories high. On the far end was a door where they entered and exited the room. Above the door on the second story was a large glass window that stretched nearly the whole hundred yards across and was about twenty feet tall. There observations were made from afar. Below it was a large cargo door, which was the opening to the vast walkway that led to the elevator at the armoury.

Everybody was down here right now, however. The gate had begun showing some signs of energy, which had everyone in a fritz at the moment.

Since the phenomenon, they had tried for two unsuccessful years to discover how to open up what the scientists called a 'disturbance.' The general didn't know what that meant, didn't care either. He only did his job and looked for glory.

If this worked, he would receive a lot of it. And this time they were closer than ever. It seems that another disturbance similar to this one had occurred elsewhere a couple of days ago, and whatever they were studying had become a little less resilient due to that. However the scientists had put it, at least. This time they might pull it off.

The general broke away from his thoughts of glory and yelled at the soldier again, "Are we ready yet?"

"Give me five more minutes, sir. I need to check up on a few more things," the soldier replied, then remembering, added, "sir!"

The general grunted obscenely. The government must have been running low on good soldiers when they had sent him this rabble. Most looked out of shape, and even more looked like they couldn't tell a rainy day from a sweltering heatwave.

A rumbling noise could be heard suddenly, though it was very quiet. It was slowly becoming louder however.

"Well, finally," the general said impatiently, "is it started up?"

"Ummm...sir?" one of the scientists asked quietly.

"What is it? And why the hell are ya whispering?" the general asked in an agitated tone.

"Sir...uhhh...that's not the machines. We haven't turned on anything."

The rumbling had become quite loud now. It was easily heard and several soldiers looked around apprehensively. Some who were claustrophobic looked at the ceiling forebodingly.

"Then what the hell is that damn noise?" the general asked, now having to yell over the din.

A crashing and crunching noise accompanied the rumbling, which grew even louder. The general had had enough of this and his pistol was in his hand.

He desperately tried to remember where he had heard that noise before. It was surely something that a soldier boy like himself should know. He desperately tried to place it.

"What do we do sir?" a pathetic soldier asked, his head whipping around madly as he tried to find the source of the rumbling.

The noise was deafening now. Another crash sent a small concussion through the titanium room. The general was sure he had heard that noise before. It sounded just like...

A tank came crashing through the glass observatory window above the shocked soldiers and scientists. Computers and glass showered down ahead of the quickly descending juggernaut, spilling and crashing onto the metal floor. Sparks from the disconnected wires that dangled from the computers fluttered down as well, giving the destruction the appearance of some sort of fireworks display.

"What in the hell is this all about!" the general asked to no one in paticular.

The tank tipped forward slightly as it descended, nearly hitting the floor turret first. It managed to hit the ground before it had completed the nosedive, however, and the treads spun rigorously, pulling it forward. Another lasershow of sparks accompanied the tank as it righted itself, the wheels scraping on the floor. Then it began heading for the place of the disturbance, the gate.

The general was outraged, "What in the hell?" he asked, though no one answered him; they were too busy panicking.

Inside the tank Cid was desperately trying to figure out how to keep the tank from swerving. He didn't want to hit any of his fellow techies, who were backed up against the wall to his right with frightful expressions on their faces.

Crono and Lucca were yelling with adrenaline induced exuberance. They were enjoying this, obviously. Marle however, looked a little scared. They had just completed a fairly long drop; despite the fact that they were in one piece, she didn't like the jump one bit.

Lucca turned to Crono, "I told you this was a good plan!"

Crono looked at her with a smile, "You just told me I'd like it. It's still not a good plan, though."

Lucca fumed and Cid tried not to smile, which nearly caused him to lose control again. "Better get that gate key thingy ready. We're nearing the disturbance," he said.

Lucca pulled out the gate key and got it ready. She also had a small pistol tucked away. Crono had stated that as long as they were taking the tank, a few guns wouldn't be missed either. They might need them anyway.

Only Marle hadn't taken one. She didn't like guns. Crono had tried to point out to her that she liked crossbows; and guns were the same thing. She remained adamant, however.

Lucca was about to push the button, when she remembered something. "Wait! How are you getting back, Cid?"

Cid turned toward her, "What?"

"You'll be dragged in our time as well. How will you get back?"

Cid thought about it, "You can just send me back with that gate key."

Lucca suddenly looked downfallen, "I couldn't do that! I'd send you back to a heavily armed, trigger-happy group of soldiers who would be looking for someone to blame!"

Cid shrugged, "Oh well...I've always wanted to see what other times were like anyway. I'll stick around with you for awhile," he said, then added, "looks likes you're gonna have to get used to me for a while, eh?"

"I guess you can come along," Lucca replied, "I guess you _have_ to come along."

Cid pressed the accelerators forward and the tank pushed ahead at a faster speed. The tank quickly passed by several stunned soldiers, the ones who weren't running in a panic at the moment. Lucca pushed the gatekey button.

The general yelled at his soldiers to stop the thing however possible. He readied his own gun, no matter how useless it would be.

Then behind him a blue light erupted from thin air. A large portal opened up there, which startled even more soldiers.

"That's it!" the general yelled, "I want any soldier with an antitank gun to open fire on that thing!"

Four soldiers came out of the confusion and drew their hellishly powerful guns from their holsters. They aimed, waiting for the general's cue.

The general sighed at their stupidity. He had already told them to fire. _Oh well,_ he thought. "Fire!" he yelled dramatically.

"We're almost there," Marle yelled happily.

"Yep," Crono replied, "but it's still been too easy."

Lucca glared at him, "I do wish you'd stop saying that."

"Why?"

Gunfire erupted from in front of them.

"Damn!" Cid cursed, then quickly said, "Uhh...you all'd better duck quickly. I mean QUICKLY!", he did so himself."

They didn't ask questions and did as the driver had instructed. Bullets were starting to shower the vehicle and surprisingly, some of them were penetrating.

"What's going on?" Crono asked over the sound of gunfire and ricochets.

"Anti-tank fire," Cid replied with a grim smile, "Looks like I underestimated these 'idiots'."

Outside they heard the firing stop long enough for a loud voice to boom over them, "Stop the tank and come out with your hands up! If not we will open fire and shoot to kill!"

"Looks like we're out of options...And so close too!" Lucca said sadly.

Cid sat thinking. Oblivious to the countdown the man had started outside.

"Cid? Stop the tank. We're outnumbered and apparently out gunned," Marle demanded, "We wouldn't make it."

Cid snapped out of his thoughts. He looked at them before turning to the controls. "Stay down here," was all he said.

Then he applied the brakes to the tank and they stopped. The gate stood thirty yards in front of them, its glow tantalizing them with its promise of freedom.

A now impossible freedom. 


	16. Chapter 16

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 16

* * *

The castle stood there, a monument to a long dead war and the reign of an infamous being. Within the glow of the moonlight, it seemed paler than ever before. It had once been home to the great Magus during the war with the Mystics. It was now unoccupied, having been so since the failed attempt by Magus to raise Lavos. The castle had sustained the distortion, but it had paid its toll; the foundation was cracked and chipping in some places, completely removed in many others.

Still it stood. Surrounded by a forest in which the trees were all near dead from the gloom that permeated and poisoned from the castle, be it from the air or through the ground. Regrowth was possible, yet far from happening.

A wind blew and the tress began waving in the wind. A shadow appeared out of the moonlight on the ground. A figure flew through the air, finally landing near the entrance to the twisted monolith.

Shrouded in his cloak, with the hood drawn back to reveal the long dark hair, the figure looked up at the ruins with a sense of loss. In those eyes were a look of hatred and ages of suffering; yet deep inside, hidden behind the blockade of anger, was a sadness.

The figure looked back at the door and walked forward. His hand reached out slowly to grasp the handle. He turned back to stare out at the forest for a moment, then turned back to open the door and enter his home.

Magus had returned.

xxxxx

"Pret, is the 'job' done?" Nikades asked the air around him.

There was a moment of silence, obviously Pret still couldn't get used to talking with someone miles away.

Finally the reply came, "Yes, the king is dying. He won't last the day. The ironic thing is I didn't do a thing to him. The stupid fool stood out in the open and allowed himself to be shot up... of course the land had been in peace for centuries, why would he know how to fight-"

"Please don't digress from the topic, Pret. This link of minds makes me weary."

Pret considered these words for a moment, surprised that Nikades gave hint to weakness, then he continued, "Anyway, I've also removed the other two noblemen from Truce and Chorre. I'll be next in line."

"Good," Nikades said, "But are you sure of that?"

"Positive," Pret answered, "the only one left is the daughter of the king and she has been missing for a long time. I take it that that is _your_ doing...?"

The final sentence sounded more like a question than a statement, Pret still unsure of the limits of his ally. Nikades merely smiled. He knew where she was. Pret didn't need to know.

"That is all for now, Pret. Be happy with your new kingdom. I will return when I'm finished with my errands."

"How long?" Pret asked, but Nikades cut him off with a smile.

Nikades turned toward the gatekeeper standing in the grass. Now would be the time to instigate the next phase, the next piece put into play. He reached for the device and began preparing it for another transport.

_Where to begin..._ he thought. He now had two of the three sources of high magic of Zeal. The Sunstone rested in the house of the inventor, now in his control. The Rainbow Shell would now be his from Pret. All that was left was the Dreamstone.

He could wait for that. He had other business to attend to. He activated the gatekeeper and a gate appeared.

A red gate.

The prince of Zeal needed a welcome home present.

_Revenge._

xxxxx

"Cid, what are you doing!?" Lucca asked, grabbing Cid by the shirt and trying to pull him back in.

He merely tightened his grip on the ladder rung and turned back inside to look at the others, "I'll go out there and tell them I'm alone. When they apprehend me, you guys hightail it out of here and through the portal."

He indicated the gate, which was now being inspected by several soldiers and a scientist.

"That's, uh, not very well thought out, Cid," Crono pointed out.

Cid shrugged and tried to continue climbing, but Lucca kept her grip. Cid sighed, "So what? It's the best I can come up with."

"You have ten seconds to get out!" yelled the voice of the commander outside.

"What will they do to you?" Lucca asked slowly.

"Nine," the general said.

"I don't know," Cid replied with a shrug, releasing to ladder for a moment, "but this is the best way to find out."

"Seven."

"That's insane!"

"Six."

"I know, but if what you told me is true, and there is a problem, then we're all in trouble anyway. I'm just making sure that someone can solve this problem."

"Three."

Cid grabbed the ladder rung again, "Bye Lucca," he started to climb up, "bye all of you."

"One... there you are."

"Don't shoot." they heard Cid say outside.

"Are you the only one?" it sounded more like disbelief than a question.

"Yes, sir."

"You and you! Check inside and get the others!" the general pointed out two random men who immediately followed orders.

"Bu-" they heard Cid begin.

"Shut up! Don't talk unless you're talked to! You've just done a lot of damage here, boy. As you can tell, I'm none too happy about that. Don't make me entertain ideas of tying you to the treads when we roll this thing back," the general pointed at the tank angrily as he yelled.

Cid was quiet, a quick learner. Seconds later, they heard the sound of footsteps on the tank. The soldiers were coming aboard.

"Uh oh, we'd better hide." Crono whispered.

They moved into the shadows as best they could as the first 'volunteer' climbed down into the vehicle. Lucca hid behind the ladder and Crono and Marle huddled under the cannon loader. They weren't the best of hiding spots.

A gun slowly peeked through the entrance, pivoting slowly as if scanning the area itself. It was soon followed by a person's head. The soldier quickly gripped the top rung and swung himself around, falling into the tank quickly and landing silently. He quickly looked around, though his eyes had yet to adjust to the dim red light. His eyes passed over Lucca, missing her entirely, and he slowly spun as he continued to scan. He turned toward the front, in the direction of the other two. This time, he found someone. Marle.

The soldier turned quickly to yell up at the other soldier waiting outside but stopped as a loud click sounded and a gun pointed at his head. Lucca jumped up from her kneeling position and had the gun at his face in an instant. She glared at him coldly over the sights of the pistol, "Climb that ladder with your hands up."

The soldier began to move slowly, not wanting to cause trouble, but she stopped him again, "And give me your gun," Lucca continued, remembering at the last moment that he was armed.

Sweat was beading on the soldier's head, Lucca's quick movements and attitude were making him nervous. He reached out carefully and put the gun in Lucca's free hand, which had been waving impatiently before him.

Crono and Marle climbed out of their concealment; Crono had his gun in his hands already and Lucca tossed the extra gun into Marle's startled hands. She eyed the weapon suspiciously.

The soldier started to climb, but Lucca held him back a second time. He nearly sighed in impatience, then remembered his situation. His right arm began to twitch in anxiety, a reflex that had popped up in him since basic training and wouldn't go away.

"No, wait a second... Crono, keep an eye on him. I'll take the other one," Lucca said, ignoring the shaking soldier.

"Find anything?" the other soldier yelled down, suddenly, causing his friend to jump in surprise.

The voice echoed for a few seconds within the shell as the captive tried to compose himself. "C'mon..." Lucca prodded him, the gun waving around as if reminding him of its presence.

"No!" the hostage yelled up finally, the voice lacking control.

"Now guard him, Crono," Lucca repeated.

"Lucca, what are you doing?" Crono asked, casually pointing his gun at the other man, despite the fact that he didn't know the first thing about guns.

"I'm getting Cid back," she replied, grabbing the ladder and climbing up so quickly that Crono had no time to argue.

"Another one, eh?" the general asked as Lucca climbed out.

He quickly changed his tone as Lucca displayed her gun and placed it against the head of the soldier on the tank. The soldier stiffened at the sudden movement, caught off guard. His eyes closed and his gun dropped from his petrified hands to clatter on the tank and roll off. He had obviously not been in a situation like this before. All of the armed soldiers that stood about the tank instantly trained their guns on the girl.

"What in the hell's going on?" the general asked, not getting an answer.

"Give me Cid," Lucca replied.

"What, the kid?" the general asked, pointing his gun at Cid, "'Fraid I can't do that little girl."

Lucca wavered, but didn't pull back the gun. She stomped down on the tank, "C'mon Crono, join the party."

Crono walked up with the soldier in front of him. Several of the soldiers turned their guns toward the newcomer. The general had become engrossed in the conversation with these enigmatic children, his hold on Cid loosening slightly. Which was a bad mistake.

Cid realized his chance within seconds and made his move. He grabbed the general's arm and twisted it around brutally. Though Cid wasn't very strong, especially compared against someone twice his size, he had surprise on his side and the arm moved easily. The general yelled in pain and Cid tore the gun out of his madly waving hand. It was then put against the general's temple.

Cid immediately became famous with the local weaponry as gun after gun turned towards him. Lucca and Crono were forgotten for a second, then some of the soldiers turned back to the two.

"Stalemate," Crono sighed.

"Not quite," the general said, giving a small smile and shifting his weight slightly to glance at Cid, "I never load my gun-"

Suddenly, the lights went out. The general brought his head around, wondering for the tenth time what was going on. Cid took this opening and hit the confused officer over the head with the empty gun and turned to run toward where the tank had been. He stumbled, a bit, unable to see in the sudden darkness, then ran into someone.

Cid spun, trying to get around the person he had hit, who was also stumbling from the impact, and tried to continue his run. But before he had made it two steps, incredibly huge arms had taken a hold of him. He was carried struggling toward a place he couldn't see, the only thought in his head was that maybe he hadn't hit the general hard enough.

Lucca looked around in amazement before pushing her soldier off of the tank. His arms waved around for a hold before he struck the ground with a large grunt of pain. A noise behind her told that Crono had followed her example. They quickly ran back into the tank, preparing for possible gunfire.

Then Lucca remembered Cid. "Damn," she said climbing back outside. However a large shape blocked her path. The shape quickly pushed her back as it climbed down the ladder and laid a smaller figure onto the floor. It looked back to the other three.

Lucca glanced down to see Cid on the ground, struggling to get back to his feet. She then looked up and stared at the hidden face of this new person man.

A loud snap entered their ears from outside and the lights turned back on, filling the tank with shallow light. Marle sucked in her breath and stumbled back. Cid stopped moving and stood still, lying on the ground.

The Marshal had indeed found them again.

"I'm not a genius, but I really think you'd better move this thing into the blue light." The Marshall said toward Lucca.

"I-I don't... I'll try." she stuttered, climbing into the seat at the controls.

He turned toward Marle, "And you... I'll have to return you to your father now."

Marle numbly nodded. Crono protectively put his arm around her shoulders.

The tank lurched forward, then stopped. Then lurched forward again.

"What are you doing?!" Crono yelled at the driver.

"Who knows?" came the simple reply, followed by another lurch forward.

Outside, some order had been returning, however with the commander out of commission, most of the soldiers turned and ran as the tank started moving again.

"How did you find us?" Marle asked quietly.

"We'll have time to discuss that once we're out of here, princess."

Cid slowly got up, then fell over again when the tank jumped forward.

"You alright?" Crono asked.

Cid nodded dumbly looking at The Marshal. Outside gunshots began anew. But they were too late.

The tank ran through the gate and they were awash with the blue light yet again.


	17. Chapter 17

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 17

* * *

Magus paced the halls of his old castle. The place was quiet, silent and still, as no one had been in here for years. The quiet helped him think however.

He had searched everywhere for Schala. The only option now was that she was dead; an option he didn't think about even now. She was somewhere and he would find her. Or die trying.

But would it be worth it? Would a simple answer such as death be good enough for such an important question? Was all this really necessary?

Magus looked up from his reverie to look down the hall. Though it was dark, his eyes were able to see perfectly well. He threw back his cape and his hand went slowly to the evil sickle-shaped blade hinged there.

He had heard something. He cautiously stepped toward where the noise had been heard. His hand pulled out the sickle. A twist of the wrist, and a long pole sprung out from it, creating a two-handed scythe. The end of the pole banged against the ground creating a sharp ring that echoed down the empty passageway he now faced.

The noise was constant now; a faint buzzing in the wind. It sounded familiar. He closed the cloak around him and then faded into the shadows. Invisible to other eyes, he advanced toward his basement, not making a noise.

xxxxx

In his basement, it was even darker. Not a single torch was aflame, the darkness seemed infinite. However he glided through it as if there had been a hundred of said torches burning. And then in the distance, a light did shine.

A bright blue emission showered the walls further down the way with light. Magus had indeed seen this before. In an instant, the scythe was again free from its concealment. Magus reappeared from the darkness shortly after.

It was a gate; the same that Lavos had created when Glenn and the others had foiled his plans to defeat the beast. It was still as large, but the pull was gone.

Magus stepped forward carefully as a rumbling started to emanate from the gate. The scythe was held loosely in his hands, yet it was a ready and deadly weapon.

As the rumbling increased, a small picked up from the gate. It blew his blue hair around behind his head. Whatever it was, it was big. And it was coming fast.

Magus leaned against the wall and waited for the mystery. The scythe, still in his hand, was leaned against the wall as well. He wrapped the cloak around him, and faded into the darkness.

xxxxx

There was much cheering as the ship returned to shore. Messengers had returned stating that the town of Medina had been destroyed, and that the Mystics had fled to the forests. That had been the news a whole two months ago, but the people didn't think that the Mystics had a chance.

xxxxx

Pret turned to the door as a messenger knocked then hurriedly entered.

"You called, sir?"

Pret calmly looked at the man for a second then spoke, "I would prefer to be called 'Your Majesty' now.

"Yes, Your Majesty," replied the aide, a fast learner.

"That's better. Now what did I call you for... Ah yes! I will give out a speech in an hour. Give the people this message: 'The king has returned and will deliver a speech on the war. It will be at the square by that ugly bell-...No, don't tell them that...it will be at the square by Nadia's Bell in an hour.' Got that?"

The messenger nodded and hurriedly left with an almost forgotten, 'Your Majesty'. The door shut behind him.

Pret smiled. How surprised the people would be.

xxxxx

Magus looked at the portal. The noise was at its peak now. It was coming.

He waited patiently as the gate began to shift and hum.

Then suddenly, a massive shape came roaring out of the gate. Its tread wheels turned continuously as it headed straight for where Magus was waiting, the cannon seeming to stare at him like an eye.

For once, Magus was stunned. He finally noticed his position and jumped out of the way as the tank crashed into the wall he had so recently been leaning against. The wall crumbled, but the tank continued.

Magus ran after it as the juggernaut continued. It was slowing down now with a screech. Magus knew that it was from somewhere in the future, he had spent enough time there with Crono and the others to know that, but what was it doing here.

Finally, the tank stopped. Dust was floating everywhere from the debris of the wall now on the ground and tank. The top opened after a second. There was coughing inside as someone stepped out.

He didn't recognize the first figure. It was a young kid wearing glasses and a white shirt. The kid sputtered and all but crawled out of the vehicle.

Then another person crawled out. Magus recognized Lucca. She was older, that was to be expected, but she looked about the same. Behind her two more familiar faces, Crono and Marle, also climbed out.

Then one of the largest men that Magus had ever seen squeezed himself out. The man was muscular, with a traveler's cloak adorned. He did hold a crossbow in his hand and he directed it toward the other four.

Magus had never interfered with personal quarrels, but this was in his home. He stepped out of the shadows and raised his hand.

The crossbow jumped out of the big man's hand and the man gawked at the projectile as it landed on the ground several feet away. Then he noticed the stranger walk forward.

"We meet again..." Magus said quietly to the three.

xxxxx

A sizable crowd had gathered at the foot of Nadia's Bell. There was murmuring as to what Guardia was going to tell them. Some thought that the kingdom of Medina now belonged to them, while others believed that maybe they had lost and the Mystics were about to attack.

The chancellor stepped up to the makeshift podium that had been erected during the wait and looked at everyone with sad eyes. The people slowly quieted under his gaze.

"People," he began in a loud voice, "as you know, we have been thrown into a war with the Mystics. This was the first war since the battle against Magus 400 years ago. In this war, the king himself went off to battle to help fight for you.

"But now... the war has ended."

The chancellor quieted as the people cheered their happiness. They finally died down and the chancellor continued.

"The war HAS ended. It ended in a truce."

Some people started muttering amongst themselves; another Truce with the Mystics, was the thought; but they were quickly hushed. There was a look of question on many of the people's faces.

"However this truce was hard won. We did manage to take Medina. But then King Guardia ordered that we chase and exterminate the Mystics. We met them in the forest and fought. There, in that battle... the king was wounded. He died two days after."

There was now an uproar as people started voicing their disbelief. The chancellor yelled over the din, "Let me finish!"

The talking continued for a moment then slowly stopped.

"Also the nobleman of Truce, Godfrey, and the nobleman of Chorre, Maray were cut down. The only man of any kind of rank that survived was the nobleman of Porre... Pret.

"Due to the prolonged disappearance of Princess Nadia, King Guardia has named Pret his successor. We now have a truce, but it was hard won. Anyway, here is Your Majesty, King Pret I."

Pret appeared on the podium and walked forward to better address the people. There was complete silence now.

"My subjects, I am saddened to bear the news of my predecessor's death, but it is news needing a bearer anyhow. I now take the kingship under necessity. The king himself has pronounced that I am to succeed him. It is an honor I must not back down on. Princess Nadia is gone, possibly forever. This kingdom needs a ruler. Due to the deaths of the other two nobles, that puts the responsibility on me.

I will try to be a just ruler, as the Guardia line did. However, this will be different. Peace with the Mystics is now impossible. They continuously backstab us and hide behind lies. No more can we trust these beasts.

"My coronation will be in three days at the sacred Denadoro Mountains. After the ceremony, I will have to name new nobles for Truce and Porre. In these choosings I pray I will make the right choices for you."

With that, he turned and walked off. A trail of confused and frightened people shocked into quietness behind him.


	18. Chapter 18

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 18

* * *

The Marshal looked the newcomer in surprise. Where had he come from.

His gun was lying out of his reach, but he wasn't one to go down so easily. He reached into his cloak and drew his sword. "I don't think this is your business, sir."

Magus drew his scythe, "You crashed through MY castle and are currently threatening old acquaintances. I think it is."

With a small jerk on his weapon, Magus stepped forward in to the light. Activated, the scythe expanded into its full size, the blade flashing in the dim blue light.

Then the gate shut. The room was thrown into darkness.

With his free hand, Magus gestured toward the four braziers near where the gate had been. They burst into bright flame suddenly, throwing light everywhere in the room.

This was going downhill rapidly Marle kept telling herself. But she was entranced by the steady pacing of the two legends circling each other. The others were likewise still, watching.

Cid gave a quick glance toward the tank. Then he looked back at the fight. A second later, his head snapped back toward the tank.

A liquid was pouring from the bottom of it. A puddle was already forming there, and a tiny river was flowing away using the small imprint that the treads had left. Gasoline. And it was flowing toward where the gate WAS and where the burning braziers WERE. Cid looked fearfully at the burning braziers, then at the flowing liquid pouring toward one of them.

The Marshal held the sword in his right hand, while his left hand reached yet again into the cloak. It produced a small dagger, about half a foot long. He smiled at Magus.

Magus smiled back. A dark unfriendly smile. Then he nodded at the ground The Marshal stood on.

The Marshal found himself propelled through the air suddenly as the earth shifted violently beneath his feet. He kept a hold of his sword, but the dagger clattered along the ground, finally resting several meters from the downed man. One of the braziers shook from the shock, teetering on the edge about to fall. A small puddle of gasoline had formed around it. However, it rolled back into place, its danger of falling gone.

Cid was having no luck at stopping the gas. There was no dirt or anything else except his feet he could place in its path. "Lucca!" he finally yelled.

Lucca turned grudgingly from the fight to see what he wanted. She saw the leak, and she saw where it was heading. "Oh great!" she yelled as she ran over to help Cid.

The Marshal was quickly to his feet. He was smiling once again. Magus was no longer smiling. The short fight with Nikades had prepared The Marshal to battle magic. Expect anything.

Cid had climbed under the wrecked tank trying to plug the leak. Lucca continued to try and subvert the flow, but she couldn't do anything to shift the imprints in the stone. The liquid had now surrounded the three nearest braziers.

Magus swung the scythe in a deadly arc downward toward The Marshal's head suddenly. But The Marshal easily sidestepped the blow and swung the sword at the undefended sorcerer.

Much to The Marshal's surprise, however, Magus suddenly faded like a wisp of smoke. The Marshal looked around frantically. "Where are you?"

He was responded with a laugh, then, "If you stop this stupidity now, you MAY live long enough to make a use of that pitiful life."

"Show yourself and I'll make a use of it on you!"

A bolt of lightning suddenly came from thin air to strike the unprepared man. The Marshal was thrown back, hitting a brazier. It tipped over spilling the burning coals over the ground. Cid looked up startled, but was relieved to see it was the only brazier still free of gasoline. For the moment.

He got up quickly, forgetting the leak and ran over to try and stop the flowing gasoline. Lucca remained trying to patch up the rupture.

Crono and Marle finally saw what was amiss and immediately ran over to help with the problem.

The Marshal slowly got up and looked around. "Had enough?" came a question from the air.

The Marshal focused and looked into the dark. He knew this ability. Suddenly, Magus was clear to him as if he hadn't been hiding by the art of shadows. An art that The Marshal knew all about.

He quickly drew out his bola from the concealment of his cloak. Then in one quick throw the weapon was airborne. The three balls connected by the strings spun around and around momentum carrying them toward the unprepared Magus. Then they struck, wrapping themselves around Magus's arms and waist so quickly the sorcerer couldn't evade them in time. He fell to the ground in a cloud of dust.

Crono, Marle, and Lucca were all trying to help Cid stop the flow but to no avail. It neared the flame as the unknowing combatants continued the fight. Then suddenly, as the gas was mere inches from the fallen brazier, the flames died. Gone, not even a wisp of smoke to remind them of the near calamity.

They looked up slowly to see that Magus was down. And The Marshal was victorious.

xxxxx

The Marshal walked carefully over to where Magus lay. The sorcerer lay on his back with the bola wrapped around his arms and stomach. His scythe lay several feet away, it had contracted back to its small sickle form. The Marshal prodded the still form with the tip of his sword, trying to get a response.

"Don't move," came a voice from behind him.

The Marshal froze, not daring to look around at the kid, Nadia, behind him. However his hand went slowly to the inside of his cloak, reaching for the concealed darts he kept there. Tipped with a sleeping concoction, they wouldn't kill the Princess. That wasn't what he wanted.

"J-Just put your hands up into the air and I won't shoot," Marle said aiming the crossbow at the figure.

The Marshal smiled. 'Try me,' he thought.

He grabbed the darts with one hand while raising the other slowly. He gently pulled out the small weapons and hid them in his sleeve. Then he raised that hand too.

He started to turn around, but the kid yelled, "Just don't move! Don't face me or anything! Just stand there with y-your hands up!"

The other three had gathered around Marle. They didn't know what they could do with him now.

Then suddenly The Marshal whirled around, a small object coming into his hand. Before any of them could react, The Marshal reared back his arm, prepared to throw the star-shaped dart.

Before he could finish the throw, however, he was suddenly thrown from the ground. He flew up into the air, his arms flailing wildly. He continued to soar up until he finally slammed into the domed ceiling two stories above with a thud. There he lay suspended, trying to get himself down. The throwing star fell from his hand to land next to the now awake Magus. The star became animated and flew around the sorcerer, cutting the bola's cords. Then it fell to the ground, useless.

Magus stood and looked up at the helpless figure. The Marshal was trying to crawl along the ceiling to a wall, but he couldn't move.

Magus looked at the other four who were each engrossed in the activities above.

Magus reached out and the sickle jumped back into his hand. He sheathed the weapon and then turned back to the four, "What do I do with him?"

Crono looked up at The Marshal and began to think. Lucca was ahead of him though.

"Drop him. We need some answers and I don't feel like yelling questions at him."

"Better unarm him first, though," Cid replied.

"Yeah, that would be best. But I think that that would flood this whole room with weaponry, considering what we've seen that guy pack so far," Crono said nodding toward The Marshal.

Magus nodded. Then he looked up at The Marshal and concentrated. The Marshal's cloak snapped off of him and fell to the ground. Then the sword belt followed, which in turn was followed by the quiver holding the crossbow bolts.

"That looks fine," Lucca said picking up the cloak and examining it.

The Marshal fell gracelessly to the ground, impacting with a loud smack. He began to groan, showing he was still conscious.

"He can sure take a lot, can't he?" Cid said staring at the seven-foot man.

"That's good," Marle said, speaking for the first time in a while, "because I'm going to give him much more."


	19. Chapter 19

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 19

* * *

"You know Marle, that's pretty cold blooded," Crono mused as Cid helped The Marshal to his feet.

"He'd deserve it," Marle retorted hotly.

"Why?"

Marle was silent for a moment, then sighed, "Forget it."

Crono didn't implore, but he had a feeling that something _was_wrong. He walked over to help Cid lift the groggy giant.

Lucca began shaking The Marshal's cloak. A dagger fell out, followed by a twenty-foot length of wire. Another two bolas came loose followed by a small package. Curious, Lucca bent over and picked up the package.

"What's in this?" she mused to herself quietly.

"Don't..." The Marshal said, "Don't open it. It's medicinal stuff."

"Oh," she said, putting the package back down.

She began inspecting the inside folds of the cloak, looking for hiding spots; a small pile of weapons at her feet.

When The Marshal was finally on his feet, the group gathered around him, preparing to ask questions while at the same time, preparing for an attempted escape. He looked at the group groggily, with a quick, wary glance at Magus. "Now what are you going to do with me?" he asked calmly.

Marle was about to say something, but Crono put his hand over her mouth, already knowing the word she would use would sound something like 'torture'. Lucca spoke up, "We'd like to ask you a few questions."

Cid and Crono nodded their agreement. Crono moved his hand covering Marle's mouth up and down to make her nod too. She reached up and slapped his hand away.

The Marshal looked at them for a second, thinking, and then said, "Ask away."

"I need to know why you're following us around like this," Lucca said starting off.

"I was sent to bring back Princess Nadia to her father, the king." The Marshal answered.

"Yes, I know that… but _why_are you risking life and limb dashing through territory unknown to you just to do that?"

"The Marshal has never failed before. I must say that this _is_a challenge, meeting two wizards and a group of angry men with strange crossbows."

"Guns," Cid corrected him reflexively. He sat down on the stone floor, slightly exhausted.

"Okay, now for question number two," Lucca began, "How were you able to sneak through the military base undetected?"

The Marshal looked around nervously and remained silent.

"H-" Lucca started to repeat the question.

"How did _you_sneak through?" The Marshal asked them.

Lucca was slightly angry, "We'll ask the questions right now. How did you sneak through," then as an afterthought, "and how were you able to track us all that way?"

The Marshal thought about it for a few seconds. His thoughts looked troubled, but he finally replied, "I followed you to the military base, of course."

"We didn't see you," Lucca replied.

"Then you needed to look harder."

Marle walked over to The Marshal making as if to kick him. Then she thought better about it and yelled, "Don't go sarcastic on us! How come we didn't see you?!"

"Okay, I hid myself!" he said, obviously not wanting to talk.

"How?"

"With... magic," he said, it was finally out.

Crono, Lucca, Cid, and Marle looked stunned. Magus looked thoughtfully at the man. "Magic," Cid said almost to himself in a strange sort of awe.

"That would explain how you could see me when _I_hid myself," Magus said quietly, still thoughtful, "I will have to think on this."

"Magic," Cid said again, "I didn't know it existed."

Lucca looked over at him in surprise, "You mean there is no magic in the future?"

"Zilch, Cid replied, giving another look at The Marshal.

Lucca looked excited, though. "What're you so happy about?" Crono asked her.

"Another of my theories has been proven!"

Crono sighed, "Which one is that?"

"That magic only existed with Lavos. You see, before Lavos came into the open-the Prehistoric time-there was no magic. But during the Dark Ages, magic flourished because of Lavos. Then when he destroyed the kingdom of Zeal and retreated underground, magic slowly died. In our time, only a select few can use magic. In the future, it's completely dead!"

Crono faked a yawn, "How interesting."

Lucca punched his arm, "It was, wasn't it?"

"So we have another magic user here do we," Crono said changing the subject back to The Marshal.

"Do you have any more questions?" The Marshal asked.

'Why would Marle hate you so much?' Crono thought, but instead he said, "None that I can think of."

"Like that's saying a lot," Lucca put in, "but I can't think of any either."

"Then it's my turn," The Marshal began, then said, "Where in the hell are we?"

Lucca sat down getting into her storyteller pose, "Well, the best question would be '_when_' in the hell are we, but we need to start at the beginning. Now, when you jumped through that gate back in our time..."

And then she told him when and where they had traveled, finally ending up here, at Magus's castle.

"Time... travel?" The Marshal finally said, clearly in shock.

"Yep," was all Lucca replied with.

"Don't worry," Cid said helpfully, "I'm still in awe at what's been happening."

The Marshal looked at Cid for a moment, but said nothing. He looked back down at the ground, lost in thought. Magus, however, broke out of his thinking and turned toward Lucca.

"This... wizard that has stolen your gate creator... would you know his name?" the sorcerer asked.

"It was Nikades, I think," Crono said.

For once in his life, Crono witnessed Magus in a state of surprise. Magus jerked his head toward the redheaded boy so quickly his hair whirled around his face before falling back into place. "What?!"

"Uh..." Crono said intelligently.

"Nevermind," Magus interrupted, "do you know how much trouble you're in?"

"You know Nikades?" Lucca asked.

Magus looked at Lucca, crossing his arms, "I never met him, I wasn't born until five years after he... left, but he was one of my mother's...," he searched for the word, "...he was _the_guru of the time."

"What happened?" Cid asked standing back up, ever ready to listen.

"My sister was old enough to understand what was happening, and she told me a little about him," Magus said beginning, "He was the head guru, above all the rest. But unfortunately, he became too ambitious. He had made some huge discovery, but the queen told him to cease. That was before she had become corrupted by the will of Lavos.

"He ignored her orders and began his supreme project. I don't know what it is, neither did my sister. I think that the only two who did where my mother and Nikades. Perhaps a few of the other gurus, too."

"How many gurus where there back then?" Marle asked.

"They were a large order that was created in order to better understand the world. I would say that there were around two hundred or more." Magus answered.

"What happened to them all?" Crono asked.

"I'm getting there..." Magus replied, becoming annoyed at the interruptions.

Magus continued, "The other gurus had all turned against him too, and had sided with the queen. The project was too dangerous. They tried to stop him; he fought with them. He was finally subdued. However...only five gurus were left alive: Melchior, Belthasar, Gaspar, Ucledes, and Dalton."

"Dalton?!" Crono, Marle, and Lucca yelled simultaneously.

"Yes, he was a guru. And one of the survivors. However, of the four survivors, he got the worst. Nikades had hit him in the face with some spell that even I don't know. Dalton's eye was destroyed and he was forced to wear an eye patch. He also went insane." Magus answered, "The other, the one you do not know, Ucledes, was killed shortly after. Some sort of gate had been formed by Nikades. It was his project, though it was incomplete. They banished him through the unfinished gate, sealing his powers. That banishment cost Ucledes his life. They threw Nikades into the unknown to die... after they had controlled his magic, taking it from his very form, leaving him without its use."

Magus grew silent, already saying what he believed to be too much. The others looked at him, registering the new information.

"...And now he's back," Crono said ominously.

"For revenge," Marle finished, "he wants to destroy the world that he was rejected from."

"To do that requires immense power. Fortunately, that power was taken from him by the gurus. But he could find a way to bring that power back," Magus mused.

"So what do we do now?" Marle asked, eying the now silent Marshal with suspicion.

"We need to find a way to reach our time. But we've ran out of gates." Lucca said. Then she finished suddenly, "I wish we still had the Epoch. Ramming Lavos WAS fun, but it has its minuses now."

"I can create a small gate with the magics of this castle and myself," Magus said quietly, "a little gift I learned from Belthasar so long ago."

"Really?" Lucca asked amazed.

"What? Are you coming, too?!" Crono asked, surprised by the sorcerer's sudden helpfulness; he had always been so separated before.

"I'm coming," Magus said suspiciously, "I've a score to settle."

"Score?" Cid asked.

"Whatever that gate was that he was thrown in, it sucked Zeal completely of power. The Ice Age was in full force and we began to freeze. That was when my mother began looking for an alternate power source. She found Lavos. His tampering caused my mother to become desperate enough to take Lavos. My score is the score of all of Zeal."

"And what do we do with him?" Crono asked, indicating The Marshal.

"Kill him," Marle said quickly.

Crono glared at her, "I think we'll need his help. Should we bring him along?"

Marle cried out in protest, but he headed her off, "We at least need to get him back to our time. He might change history if we left him here to his own devices. Can we trust you?" he asked the giant man.

The Marshal looked at him for a moment and lowered his head, "Aye, I give you my word. But Marle must be returned to her father or I'll not get paid."

"After this is over, she'll go back. But not by force," Crono said.

"You've got that right," Marle said backing up Crono's words.

Suddenly, Magus looked up sharply and peered down the narrow, dark halls in concentration.

"Quiet," he whispered. His hand went to his scythe, now belted.

They looked at him, wondering what was happening. They however, remained silent, listening for what only he could hear at the moment.

Then they heard the growls and snarls from the darkness. They were coming closer much too quickly. The group all jumped as the ringing of Magus scythe echoed suddenly in the air. They likewise drew weapons, taking them from The Marshal's arsenal.

The Marshal looked at them trying to get their attention. "Umm... could I have a weapon?," he asked pleadingly as dark shapes came lumbering through the hall toward them, making nightmarish noises at the sight of prey.


	20. Chapter 20

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 20

* * *

Crono thought about it for a second, then bent and threw The Marshal one of the short swords lying on the ground. The Marshal deftly caught it, nodding his thanks. Crono nodded back and they turned to face the creatures charging them.

What had at first appeared as only two, clearly became at least a dozen as the beasts poured fourth. Magus concentrated more and the three upright braziers burst into flame, illuminating the basement for the group.

The group would have given their thanks, but they were nervously looking at the pool of gas that still laid there.

The beasts were clearly seeable now; dark black lumbering shapes towering at five feet. They were four-legged, with no hair, just leathery, black skin. Piercing red eyes glared forth, below were slavering fanged mouths. They were demons.

"What in the-" Cid began, as the first of the beast reached them.

Marle aimed The Marshal's crossbow, a weapon she knew how to use, and fired a shot. It struck the nearest beast in the leg, but the beast registered no pain or slowdown. It jumped at the nearest prey, Magus.

The sorcerer, showing a good deal of agility, moved to the side as the beast landed where he had a moment before been standing. A wave of his hand sent a firebolt plummeting into the demon, throwing it across the room to land sliding into the far wall. However, it stood back up and ran toward the group once again.

Crono ducked a claw swipe and swung his sword. The blade cut through the tough hide of the demon's leg, severing it. The demon stumbled, having lost an appendage, but no blood sprung forth. It tried to bite Crono, but fell over, unable to balance. It ended up on its back, facing up at Crono.

Crono jabbed his blade into where its heart should be. But it wasn't there. The beast struggled against the sword and Crono lost his grip. Then the beast flipped over onto its feet, the sword hilt sticking out of its chest and the blade pointing out of its back like a horn. Crono stumbled back as the demon came at him.

The Marshal jumped in between the two and held out his sword. The demon ran into the sword unaware until the last moment, one moment too late. It impaled itself into the sword through the head. The sword had cut its way into the demon's brain. That stopped it.

The Marshal quickly withdrew his sword as the monster slid on its side toward the startled Crono. It stopped inches from his foot. The Marshal saluted him with his sword before going after the next unfortunate demon. Crono shakily readjusted his grip on his sword, his confidence returning at the knowledge of the beast's weakness.

It had no circulatory system, no blood, no veins, no arteries, no capillaries. No heart. Every killing blow that was customarily used was now useless. A kill would have to be through the head. With a thick skull, that was hard accomplished.

Lucca held her dagger uneasily. She knew guns, unfortunately The Marshal had disposed of them back in the future so that they couldn't have used them on him while he was returning with his 'money'. She readied herself as one of the demons centered in on her.

Marle reloaded the last quarrel into her crossbow. None but one had been effective. That blow had miraculously gone through a demon's eye. It has instantly fallen to the ground. Another shot had hit one right in the chest, but it had remained standing, not registering the blow. Marle was confused, but she didn't try to think about it. Head shots counted, chest shots didn't.

She aimed the crossbow one last time. There were more of the demons coming into the basement. They were now a dozen strong, maybe more. This was rapidly becoming a last stand.

Lucca ducked as the beast jumped at her. It sailed over her, but a claw dug into her shirt, ripping away her sleeve. She clutched at the arm wound as blood seeped through it. She fell to her knees in pain, the knife clattered on the stone floor, free of her grasp.

The beast turned toward her and raised its haunches, readying itself for the killing blow. Lucca looked up at it weakly, wondering suddenly what was to become of her.

If only she had had her gun, this wouldn't have happened. She knew nothing about knives.

The monster ran toward her.

Suddenly, Cid jumped from out of nowhere to land on the demonic behemoth. He grabbed a hold of its neck and his momentum sent it reeling to the ground. He wouldn't let go though he had a dagger in one hand. The demon tried to roll over and crush him under it.

Lucca slowly picked up her knife as dizziness overcame her again. She stumbled up and staggered toward the demon. Cid tried to free his knife hand to stab the nightmare, but it was caught between the monster's neck and the stone ground, he wasn't even able to budge it under the weight. Huge claws swiped at him, missing him by a few inches. The next swipe was closer.

Lucca nearly fell, but righted herself in her forward step toward the enemy. She raised the knife. The monster was nearly on its back and it looked up at her. It snarled angrily at her and tried to break free from Cid, but he held on. The knife plummeted into its jaw, up into the brain.

It stopped rolling around and Cid pulled himself free. When he faced her, she smiled at him groggily.

She faintly heard him say, "Lucca, you're bleeding!" as she fell to her knees.

She was so tired. She couldn't see very well, her glasses had fallen off, but she couldn't remember when. She didn't really care when either. She fell over and was unconscious.

xxxxx

Magus looked down the hall from the basement to see the demons still pouring into the room. They were outmatched outrageously. There was no other choice but to flee.

One of the monsters reared up before him and he negligently waved his hand. The demon was flung back through the air, landing on another demon. The one receiving the full impact fell back and rolled on the ground. It came to a stop and staggered back up, as did the other.

Magus swung his scythe in a downward stroke, cutting into the head of another demon that had challenged him. The beast fell to the ground from the blow, out of the fight.

Magus stepped over to Crono who was busy fighting two demons, which was about to become three. Magus killed one, then waved his hand, throwing the third demon into the nearby wall. There was a snap as it hit head first, the skull caving in and the demon was still. Magus pulled his scythe up, but the first demon was still stuck to the blade. He swung the blade in an arc, throwing the corpse into a fourth demon. Crono had cut off two of the legs to his demon, and one of its ears had been cleaved off.

Crono suddenly gasped as the beast suddenly jumped forward and bit his ankle. Blood quickly seeped out of the wound. Crono raised his sword and jammed it downward into the skull of the monster. It quivered and then slowly died, its grip on his leg slackened.

"Get the others," Magus told the limping warrior, "we must flee."

"Where? They're coming through the only way out." Crono retorted bending over and placing his hand over the wound.

"Fool. There are other ways out. Just get the others. I must prepare the exit."

Magus turned and walked away from the startled Crono. His cape swirled behind him and he waved his hand sending a bolt of lightning into a nearby demon. The monster smoked from the blow, but came at Magus again. Magus lifted his hand and the monster was suddenly propelled up into the air much like The Marshal earlier. It smashed into the ceiling and then dropped, dead.

Crono looked around and yelled, "Let's get out of here! Follow Magus!" he turned and went that way, using his sword to fend off any nearby attackers.

Cid picked up the body of Lucca and ran after Crono; The Marshal picked up Lucca's knife and held it and the sword. He used the two blades to protect the two, cutting a wide swathe through the few demons that challenged him.

There were now about twenty of the monsters still living, and another three came bounding into the basement before the flow finally stopped. The Marshal started to sigh with relief, but stopped when he heard another roar. This one was different than the rest.

Another demon came into the light. But it wasn't a demon that they had been fighting. This one was flaming red, and stood at ten feet on its four legs. It opened its mouth and howled again. The Marshal could see easily the two one foot long fangs protruding from the abyssal mouth.

The other demons cleared a path as the great demon came striding in quick gallops toward the fleeing group. This one was definitely the leader.

"C'mon!" The Marshal yelled at Marle, who was lagging behind.

She ran by him, but he made no move to follow. Instead, he faced the advancing menace. An ultimate challenge.

xxxxx

"Where is it?" Crono asked Magus, who was facing a stone, gray wall. The leaking tank stood near the wall.

Magus made no response, instead he just faced the wall. Crono was about to yell at the sorcerer when suddenly the wall creaked open, revealing a hidden passage into a dim cave.

"This way," Magus finally answered.

"You first," Crono said pushing Cid through the passage. Marle followed.

Crono hesitated, looking for The Marshal. He could see slightly that the giant man was facing the main demon. He couldn't wait. Crono jumped through with Magus behind him.

xxxxx

The Marshal leaned down and picked up his cloak lying on the ground. He dusted it off and redonned it. He sheathed his two weapons and looked at the demon king. He stepped into the puddle of leaking gasoline and leaned next to the burning brazier.

The demon slinked toward him, circling slowly like a wolf. It opened its mouth and growled, its eyes closed to slits.

"It was a great party," The Marshal began, looking the monster in the eye, "but you're not invited."

The monster reared its haunches and prepared to pounce on him, when he suddenly turned and kicked over the brazier he was leaning against. It tipped over spilling out the flaming coals.

"Besides," The Marshal continued, "it's over."

The gasoline caught fire and the fire streaked toward the tank. The Marshal turned and ran toward the passage Magus had opened.

The demons all howled their nightmarish noise and panicked. Their leader ran through the tall flames and after The Marshal.

The Marshal reached the passage as the flames entered the tank. He turned around to see the red demon only about ten feet behind him, catching up fast. The flames burned all around now, and they had entered the tank's leaking gas tank.

He dived into the passage and tucked himself into a ball as the tank exploded. The red demon's mouth snapped close right behind him. It couldn't fit into the passage completely. Then the flames from the explosion reached it. It burst into an inferno and began thrashing as the whole basement was awash in the hellish flames of armageddon.

The ceiling of the basement creaked and groaned from the shockwave. It had already lost support from the tank driving earlier and the recent explosion was too much. Large chunks started to fall. Demons were crushed under some of the boulders, and the survivors were racing toward the long stairway. Then the whole ceiling buckled and collapsed onto the startled demons. They were crushed under it. Then the remaining castle too collapsed, falling down in a majestic show of destruction.

xxxxx

In Dorino, people suddenly looked far to the east-northeast to witness the castle surrender. They watched as it fell in upon itself, imploding into the ground from which a large dust cloud arose.

The magic of the castle was finally released and it flew off in all directions. A multicolored shockwave flew out from around the castle thinning out as it spread.

It reached Dorino and the ground shook for a moment, some people losing footing.

Then the rumbling stopped, the magic from the castle gone.

xxxxx

Crono fell to the ground as the earth began to shake. He had heard an explosion from behind and could only guess what The Marshal had done.

He rolled over onto his back, dizzy. Then a crash erupted and everything shook so much his vision was blurry. He looked at the cavern's ceiling's shaking and saw one of its many stalactites directly above him. It broke free and fell toward him.

He quickly rolled out of the way as the rock spike crashed into the ground and shattered where he had so recently been. Crono got onto his knees and looked around to see that more stalactites were falling; the whole ceiling was coming apart.

Suddenly, Marle was there, picking him up and pulling him along behind her as the group left the cavern and into another passage. There was now light visible as they were nearing the surface.

"Wait!" they heard behind them.

They turned to see The Marshal running down through cavern, avoiding the debris, catching up to them.

"Hurry!" Crono yelled back to him and turned back to run.

Cid was tiring from carrying Lucca, but he continued to run, somehow managing to keep his footing even with the shaking. He jumped over a large rock in his path, landing softly and continuing two steps behind Magus. He broke out into the open, seeing the sun and breathing fresh air. Behind him the others too exited the cave.

"We're safe," Marle said with a sigh.

Suddenly, there came a howl from the cave. The group all looked down the cave with fear.

A bright light was coming from inside. Suddenly, the red demon came bounding into view. It was on fire, flames burst from its flesh. It was smashing everything in its way. It came running up toward them.

The Marshal drew his knife he had taken from Lucca and pulled back, eyeing his opponent. When the beast was ten strides from the opening, he concentrated and threw the knife.

The knife turned pitch black from his magic as it spun toward the monster. It struck the demon right between the eyes as it just cleared the cave. The enchanted weapon threw the monster back into the cave with its dark momentum. The demon rolled down the hall, the flames flickering around it. Then suddenly, a black explosion erupted from the demon's head. The beast was literally blown to bits as the dark explosion's shockwave shot out. The cave buckled under the explosion and collapsed.

There were no more howls.


	21. Chapter 21

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 21

* * *

Nikades felt the death of his lieutenant, the red demon. They had survived the attack. He could sense that all of them were still alive. And they had two new allies.

This would not do. He would have to set a better trap before this motley crew actually did something damaging. They were beginning to become a nuisance.

xxxxx

Pret sat in his regal throne, enjoying the power he held over the person standing in front of him. He waited as the man finished his request, not yet bored. The day was still young. Behind him, in the shadows, stood his advisor, Nikades. No one could see the sorcerer, he was concealed somehow.

The man finished his request for a few more acres for his farm and Pret leaned back as if to think. Behind him Nikades whispered to him, "Give him the land."

"What?" Pret said, forgetting that eyes were on him.

"It will keep the morale up. It's only seven acres. Truly you aren't _that_stingy. Gain the people's trust by giving in to a few of their requests. Then when they trust you, you can do what you want. It will be too late then."

Pret leaned forward again and faced the farmer. The man looked so pitiful, certainly at Pret's mercy. The thought gave him power.

"You may have the land. I will send an auditor to select where there is free land to take."

The man looked happy and bowed to Pret saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"You may have it for one year. Then, after the year is up, you will have to pay for the extra land. Unless you relinquish hold of it."

The farmer bowed again, happy for his sudden gain. He turned and nearly pranced out the door.

"Idiot," Pret murmured under his breath.

xxxxx

In the town of Truce, peace had returned. The new king was worthy, and the land was not fading under the loss of the Guardian line, as so many had predicted. After the war with the Mystics, the land was returning back to normal.

However, there were some who believed that the Guardian line still existed. They denounced Pret's claim, stating that Princess Nadia would return. It had only been a month, she was bound to return.

A resistance group was forming. They resisted the rule of the new king and they were growing stronger day after day.

xxxxx

Taban and Lara returned to their house. Since news of the war had reached them, they had hurried to return home, wondering if Lucca was all right at home.

Taban looked in the yard to see a large device sitting there. It was Lucca's latest invention. Taban wondered if it was finished yet.

Maybe Lucca would show him how it worked. He looked around to see that the grass was very high. Lucca had not been cutting it.

Lara and Taban waded through the foot high grass to the front door. Taban pushed it opened and the two walked inside.

There were no lights on, the sunlight shining through the windows was the only source of illumination. This light illuminated a scene of destruction. Everything was overturned. There were claw marks on the tipped refrigerator, whose contents were scattered everywhere. A wall had been completely mauled, claw and teeth marks abounded upon it.

"What the-" Taban began.

They heard a noise upstairs. "Lucca?" Lara asked hopefully.

The noise became louder, it was a growl.

"Let's get out of here," Taban said as Lara reached for the door.

There was a sudden rumbling as something big came running down the stairs from Lucca's room. It turned as it came into view.

A black four legged beast. With red eyes and a fanged mouth.

It turned from the stairs and bounded toward them, cutting a clean and graceful corner for such a large monster. The demon jumped over the bookcase across the doorframe and raised its hackles, about to pounce.

Lara ran out the door and Taban shut it behind him. As the door shut, there was a loud crash as the monster hit the door.

Taban walked away from the door slowly, still facing it. Suddenly, a claw stuck through the door ripping a large chunk out of it. Beyond the hole, they could see the red-eyed face.

Then the demon stopped. It stared at them, and then it turned and walked away, back up the stairs.

The two began to sigh, when they heard a low chuckle from behind them. They turned and faced a more fearful menace.

The new monster had the body of a scorpion, complete with six legs and a menacing stinger. However, where its head would be rose a human torso. It had hands instead of pincers, but it still looked deadly. On its head it had no hair and two blue eyes peered at them beneath the bald head. It opened its mouth to chuckle again, short, sharp teeth emerged from the cavernous mouth. It stood over the two, a good seven feet tall.

"Welcome to the end," it said and advanced, stinger dancing in the air.

xxxxx

Nikades smiled. Merjhra had completed his task. The trap was set. Feorne, the red demon, had failed and paid for that with its life. Merjhra was not likely to slip so easily.

A new lieutenant would have to replace the late Feorne, something with more intelligence. Nikades thought about it.

xxxxx

The group looked at the destroyed escape route. They had escaped for now, but the fear of another attack was all around.

"Where are we?" Crono asked Magus, who was looking back above the cave, where his castle had once stood.

Magus looked around, "I am not too sure... I think we lie on the western coast."

"What?!" Crono asked, "You don't know your own home?"

"It has been years since I have been here," Magus replied coolly.

"Could you stop yelling and help?" Cid asked, laying the unconscious Lucca down onto the soft ground.

Crono turned from the wizard and walked over to his sleeping friend. Marle and the Marshall joined.

"She's hurt," Cid said unnecessarily, "She was cut by one of those demons."

"How?" the Marshall asked..

"Clawed," Cid backed off to let the Marshall nearer.

The Marshall inspected the wound, peeling back the cloth Cid had tied around her arm. Four dark streaks trailed jaggedly across her arm, below the shoulder. The wound was flecked with yellow.

"Venom." the Marshall said spitefully replacing the cloth.

"Poison?" Crono asked looked at his bitten leg, "Then why aren't I affected?"

"You were bitten. I suspect that the demons use their claws to poison, their jaws to eat. Why would it bite you?" he asked the last question thoughtfully.

"It didn't exactly have the use of its claws at the moment," Crono replied, indicating his belted sword.

The Marshall reached into his cloak and pulled out a small envelope. He opened it and pulled out a package of something the others couldn't make out.

"Do you keep EVERYTHING in there?" Crono asked.

The Marshall ignored him. Instead he said to the group, "She's lucky. She was bitten in the left arm."

"So?" Crono asked.

Cid cut in, "Blood flows from the heart _to_the left arm. That means that it has to travel all around her body before it returns to her heart."

"And this will slow the poison down enough so that we can take her to a doctor of some sort."

He opened the package and held open Lucca's mouth to pour the contents in. After that he closed her mouth and looked to the others. "Where's the nearest town?"

"Dorino," Crono said, "West of here."

The Marshall lifted Lucca effortlessly in his arms, "Then let's hurry. That poison has been slowed down, not stopped."

Nikades stood thoughtfully in his room. It was now noon, he had been in here for over an hour. He looked out his window thoughtfully, making decisions as to what he should do next.

Nikades decided that it was time to start his plans. He sent out his thoughts to his minions, giving them his instructions.

The monsters understood... and implemented.

Nikades smiled. His minions were such good little workers.

xxxx

Gaspar slept fitfully under his lamppost. The End of Time was one of the most boring places to live. Sleep was a constant thing here. Gaspar remained, however, so that he might help others who get lost. It was his job by choice, though not without its regrets.

The bucket that led to Lavos was no longer there. The great entity was finally dead, and Gaspar had no more need of that spur of the moment gate.

Spekkio sat in his own room, watching the planet live through the times.

Gaspar jerked awake suddenly. He had felt something. A pillar had been used.

He turned to the door, expecting another lost traveler. They appeared here often, yet not so often as they used to.

Then he felt a wrenching in his mind. Something wasn't right. He started to use his thoughts to lock the door when it suddenly burst open. A large demon stepped out. It stood at eight feet in height on two legs. Two impossibly large arms stooped before it, with clawed hands at the end. Its whole body was covered with dark brown hide. Two coal black eyes peered forth.

The thing shrieked as it spotted him. Inside of its mouth was nothing. Just a black hole, a large hole.

Then more nightmares came pouring out of the room behind it. The black, four-legged demons bounded toward the old man.

"Spekkio!" Gaspar yelled preparing to fight.

Spekkio came running out and stood by Gaspar, not understanding, yet not asking in this time of need.

The leader turned to Gaspar, "Master Nikades sends his greetings!" it said and then it laughed "And his farewell."

"Nikades?!" Gaspar began.

"He says that Banrin can have this dump. But Banrin wants to destroy it. Is a dump!"

The creature laughed again and the demons charged.

Spekkio summoned all of his energy to fight. Though it would not be enough. There were just too many of the demons.

And the only escape was blocked by the brown menace named Banrin.


	22. Chapter 22

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 22

* * *

They reached Dorino two days later. They had used the cave to the south of Magus's collapsed castle to reach the Magic Cave, and from there, they had made a hard run west; Lucca's life was hanging by a thread.

They group headed straight for the inn. The Marshal walked ahead of them, still carrying Lucca. He turned his back to the door in midstride and banged it open with his hip. The door flew open, revealing the lone innkeeper inside.

The innkeeper stood up, surprised. He began to ask what they wanted, then seeing Lucca he stopped.

"Oh, my... Uhh..." He stuttered.

"We'll take a room," Crono said, filing into the room behind the overdramatic giant, "How much?"

"Are you staying here?" the innkeeper asked looking at Lucca again, then looking at the others.

Crono looked at himself for a moment, then he remembered that he, Cid, Lucca, and Marle were still dressed up as soldiers from the future. But there was nothing he could do about that now.

"Here," The Marshal said, handing the man some gold he fished out of his pocket, "We'll probably be here a few days."

"Y-Yes, sir," the innkeeper said, scooping up the money.

The group walked into their new room. Crono looked at The Marshal, "Where'd you get all of that money?"

"I was paid half in advance by the chancellor for my currently unfinished job," he replied, placing Lucca on the bed.

Marle gave a dark glance at The Marshal, "Still doing dirty work for money."

"Hey! I don't do dirty work!" The Marshal shouted back at his accuser, turning from the bed.

"...Unless no one's around!" Marle shot back.

"Listen, girl-"

"Girl?!"

"Yeah, girl; I don't know why you're against me so much, whether it is because I'm trying to bring you back to your family, or because I'm succeeding, but-"

"It's not that!" Marle yelled back.

"Shut up both of you," Crono cut in with a quiet but commanding voice, "We need to help Lucca, not make her resting spot a place for quarrels."

Marle glared at him, glancing once at The Marshal then turned and left the room.

The Marshal, now free, yelled for the maid.

One of the ladies walked in, "Yes?" she asked politely.

"Would you be willing to make some money?" The Marshal asked her.

"Wha... How?"

He reached into his cloak and pulled out a small piece of paper. He then got a pen and began writing some stuff down, while she stood by him quizzically.

"I want you to go around town, to every shop, until you find each and every item on this list," he said finishing up and handing her the paper.

The Marshal produced a small bag containing gold from a pocket and handed it to the maid, "Here's fifty gold. Get all of these items and you'll get to keep the change."

The maid looked at the paper for a moment deciding what to do, wondering if she would be getting a big enough deal out of it.

"And hurry. The life of this girl is still in question," he said indicating Lucca.

The maid ran out of the room, and out of the inn. Preparing her search for the list's items.

"How much longer does she have?" Cid asked nervously, pacing by the bed nervously.

"I really don't know, but I think that this-," he suddenly reached out and grabbed Lucca's shirt. He pulled it up to reveal her stomach.

Cid was about to rebuke The Marshal when he saw her stomach, "Oh... I..."

The stomach was now covered with large, reddish, almost purple welts. The sickness was now having its effect.

The Marshal pulled her shirt back down and finished his statement, "-is an indication that we should hurry. It is most likely the same all down her left side, including her leg. Maybe even the other leg is now affected. My concoction slowed it down, but we really need what the maid went to get to stop it and kill it."

Cid had staggered back and was now leaned against the wall, sweat beginning to crop on his forehead. Crono looked at the unconscious body with yet another fear on his mind.

"That's right. We don't have too much time." The Marshal said.

Marle was suddenly livid, "Then why didn't you send one of us? We can't trust this to a maid. She might waste all of it on herself and run off!"

The Marshal shook his head, "She's a trustworthy person. I can see it in her eyes. I sent her because she lives here. She knows all of the shops better than someone who hasn't been here for two years," he nodded towards Magus, "or someone who doesn't spend time with other people."

Magus was silent, staring out of the window. Marle backed down, still angry for some reason. Crono and Cid nodded their heads in agreement.

Magus turned from the window to face The Marshal, "You sound like someone who has had to live as a recluse also."

The Marshal looked startled at Magus, but before he could say anything, Magus asked, "Do you need these three while Lucca is healing?"

"Not really. I'm the only one who can mix and administer the antidote here, I think. Why?"

Magus didn't answer his 'why', instead he turned to the other three, "I think you'd have enough time to get your frog friend."

Crono sat up, "Glenn! He'd help us fight off Nikades in an instant."

Crono looked at The Marshal, "How long will it take for Lucca to fully recover?"

"A few days," The Marshal replied.

"It'll take us two days to reach the Cursed Woods, and two days to return. I think we can manage it. We can leave in the morning." Crono was excited about seeing an old friend.

Magus nodded slowly. Crono looked at him, wondering why the sorcerer would announce them of Glenn. Then he knew.

Marle needed a break from The Marshal. Crono smiled at what might happen if she did stay. Then he frowned slightly, it would mean Lucca might die. The Marshal might leave because of Marle and Lucca wouldn't be healed.

"We'll leave in the morning after we've gotten something non-military to wear and something to eat," Crono said again, indicating him, Cid, and Marle.

Marle just nodded, maybe she knew what Magus was thinking also.

"I'm staying," Cid said.

"But he said he doesn't need you," Crono replied, "You can see some of the countryside... Some of the scenery and greenery."

"Countryside? Scenery? As in Cursed Woods?" Cid laughed, "I'll stay here."

"The woods aren't really cursed, people just think that. Probably because of all of the frogs and Nu... But if you want to stay, then stay," Marle said.

"Then it's settled," The Marshal said looking out at the darkening sky, "let's get some sleep."

xxxxx

The guard looked around with a sense of boredom.

Lookout was so boring. There was no other word to explain it, nothing was going to happen. Nothing ever happened.

He looked over to the other guard, who was equally bored. He stifled a yawn and straightened his pike. The Mystics had been sorely beaten-though the humans had taken nearly as much-and there was no other threat. Only robbers and burglars. And who would burglarize the castle? That would have been foolhardy and completely stupid.

The guard closed his eyes for a moment, trying to get a few seconds rest. Then suddenly, he heard a rustle. His eyes snapped opened and his lance was at the ready as the noise of rusty tires spinning reached his ear.

Likewise was his ally's.

Then the rustle turned into a constant crash, the squeaking was now a whistle of sorts. He saw a bright light head toward him. It was huge!

Then the thing came out of the woods, it was a rickety cart, full of burning straw. The guard jumped out of its way as it crossed the down drawbridge and slammed into the portcullis with a loud crash.

"What was that!?" yelled one of the guards on top of the parapet.

"I don't know!" he yelled back.

He walked back to inspect this strange occurrence. The other guard did likewise, and the third peered down from the parapet's edge.

"Hey! What seems to be the problem?" the guard on the parapet asked again.

"Still don't know!" the guard replied again, annoyed at the other's curiosity.

His partner peered closely at the cart, just as curious.

Then the fire burned its way through the hay and reached what the hay had been hiding.

Gunpowder had been discovered about two decades ago. However, the creation of the gun wouldn't come for centuries later. But gunpowder was used in cannons and it was combustible.

He started to scream as the cart exploded. The two guards were thrown back far away from the cart, dead. The guard on the parapet ducked as the fire climbed up to where he had been standing. The portcullis was thrown back off of its hinges. It clanged on the cobblestone of the courtyard, smoking and slightly red tinged.

The wooden drawbridge collapsed from the force and creaked. Then the other end let go and it plummeted into the waters below.

The guard on the parapet slowly stood up. He peered over the edge to see the destruction. Then the parapet he was standing on gave way and collapsed, sending a screaming guard to his doom.

The resistance had struck its first blow.

xxxxx

Pret woke up from his bed at the sound of an explosion. Quickly he jumped out and dressed. He ran to his door and opened it. Two guards stood post outside.

"What in the hell was that?" he demanded.

The two guards shrugged, both looking fearful. Pret ran out of his room and down the hall to the stairway. He would get some answers from Nikades.

On his way he met the chancellor, who had a shocked expression on his face. "What's going on?" Pret demanded yet again.

"The gates been blown open by some sort of bomb. Three guards are dead and the front gate and drawbridge have both collapsed!" the chancellor said breathlessly.

"Follow me," Pret said passing the chancellor and running down the stairs, toward the courtyard.

The chancellor followed, still breathing heavily from his run to get Pret. When they reached the scene of destruction, there were already several guards milling about. Pret stepped forward, looking down at the smoking, bent gate at his feet.

"Do any of you know exactly what happened?"

The guards shook their heads no. One said, "There were three that did, but they're dead."

"That's just great." Pret stormed into the debris, looking for anything that would help.

"Your Majesty?" the chancellor asked inquisitively, "Would it not be wise to remain in the castle? Whoever did this might still be here, waiting for you to come out so that they might kill you."

"I don't care. They can just try and kill me," Pret answered over his shoulder, then he yelled, "Nikades!"

There were more guards outside, likewise not trying very hard. Pret walked to the edge of the new makeshift bridge that had been quickly put into place. Below were the moat water and the ruined drawbridge peering up through the water.

He crossed the bridge, asking if there were any witnesses, getting 'no' every time. This was getting him nowhere.

Nikades still hadn't answered him. Pret cursed his luck.

Suddenly, one of the guards yelled, "I found something, Your Majesty!"

He was at the edge of the forest, where, nailed on a tree, was a paper notice. Pret walked to it and ripped it off of the nail.

___Pret,_

___You lying dog, you have no more royalty in your blood than the fungus growing on the dead trees around you. We will make sure that you are overthrown, and the rightful heir to the throne, Princess Nadia, is put in your place. Let it be know that your ruling days are numbered._

_The Queen's Men_

Pret wadded up the parchment and threw it on the ground. He turned to the guard, "Clean up this mess, I'm going to bed. If I wake up and this job has not been completed, I will have the head of every guard here."

"Y-Yes, sir," the guard said and saluted.

Pret was only annoyed, "That means you too, you idiot!"

"Hu-Yes, Your Majesty," the guard left, not looking so haughty anymore.

Pret returned to his sanctity; behind him the guard began yelling orders. He would sleep, but first he must consult Nikades.

Wherever that damned sorcerer was.

xxxxx

Nikades smiled as Pret finished his pitiful complaints. They were in Pret's room, with perfect privacy. Pret sat down on his bed, clearly angry.

"It seems that the rabble is finally figuring out the point," Nikades said, smiling again.

"And what is the point? If those idiot subjects can figure it out, why don't I know?"

"The point is that you will betray them in the end," Nikades said, walking to the window, where the darkness was still in full bloom. It was only slightly past midnight.

Pret sighed, "And what are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing."

Pret stood up, "Nothing?! The next attack could hit me! And both of our plans would be gone."

"I thought they were just idiot subjects," Nikades replied.

"Even an idiot knows how to use a sword."

"As you have so often shown me-"

"What was that?!" Pret's face grew immensely red, nearly purple from the anger he was under.

"Killing guards is nothing. You have plenty. Until they start posing more of a threat, I wouldn't worry."

Nikades started to walk to the door, finished. Pret grabbed his arm, "You do NOT talk to your king that way! I want you to do something. I order it!"

Nikades violently pulled his arm away and faced Pret. His eyes were still black, but seemed to be filled with some arcane power. Pret stumbled back, totally surprised by the evil transformation the sorcerer had suddenly taken.

"Don't touch me, play king," Nikades said in a harsh voice, "I gave you this kingdom. I can take it away."

Pret said nothing, and the sorcerer turned and left the room. When he was gone, Pret picked up his table and threw it against the far wall. He screamed angrily as he did so, yet he had no joy or release of anger in the act. He continued to destroy his room.

xxxxx

The next morning found Crono and Marle ready to leave town. They had packed some food in their bags, which were now hoisted upon their shoulders. The sun crept over the Denadoro Mountains, signifying that it was slightly past morning.

The maid had returned that night with several of the materials needed. She asked if she could rest for a while. The Marshal replied by showing her Lucca's condition and raising the payment by 25 gold. The maid had left to go back to the shops.

She had yet to return.

Outside of the inn, The Marshal and Cid said their goodbyes to the duo. Magus had disappeared that night, his whereabouts were unknown.

"I guess we'll see you two in four days then," The Marshal said shaking Crono's hand, "Five if you get lost."

Crono laughed, but Marle remained stoic in her emotions.

He reached out to shake Marle's hand, but she shrunk back. He slowly drew back, "Bye, Marle."

Cid stepped forward, "Yeah, see you two later. By the way, why did Magus refer Glenn as your 'frog' friend?"

"He's a frog," Crono replied, short and simple.

"Oh," Cid said, "Well, why not? I've seen everything else."

"Actually, he used to be human, but Magus turned him into a frog." Marle finished.

"Uhh..." Cid said in response.

"Bye," Crono said, waving as they turned and left.

Cid and The Marshal both waved back. The Marshal leaned over to Cid, "Strange friends they have, huh?"

Cid nodded, "Yeah. But it's all we've got right now."


	23. Chapter 23

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 23

* * *

Magus stood at the top of Denadoro Mountain. He looked off of the edge of the cliff, to the waterfall. The water fell effortlessly and infinitely. A continuing cycle.

Magus's thoughts traveled. This was where it had begun. With the death of Cyrus, he had become a hated and hunted man. With his alliance with Ozzie, he had become a traitor to his race. He had removed all affiliation with humans, only looking for a way to kill Lavos and be reunited with Schala.

His whole life had been killing. But two years ago it had ended with the death of Lavos. Or so he had thought. Now it had begun again. He knew not why he fought, let the world find its own way out, he had thought.

But Nikades was someone who had destroyed his mother. And in the end, his sister too.

Nikades had drained Zeal of its power. His mother had to turn to that monster Lavos for new power. It had driven her mad, and had ruined his life.

That was why he must fight. And maybe someday he would find Schala.

But if Nikades died, would his vengefulness end there. Only if Schala was found, would Magus be purged of his evil life.

But for now, he must fight. Lavos had his turn. Nikades was next in line.

xxxxx

Cid looked down at the sleeping Lucca. She slept so peacefully, yet her life was in danger.

Her clothes had been covered in blood from her wound. The innkeeper had been nice enough to give them a gown. She now wore that gown, her clothes had been thrown away, ripped and completely useless now.

The bleeding had stopped and her arm was healing. But Cid could still see the poison's effect on her arm. He shuddered, wondering what would happen when the poison finished with her, what would happen to her body.

But for now, she was okay. Her chest rose and fell with her breathing, a sign that she still lived. Cid hoped she would still be breathing when the maid returned with the rest of the goods.

xxxxx

The maid returned several hours after noon. She had a small bag full of strange things Cid had never seen. The Marshal thanked her and took the bag. The maid, who still had around half of the gold he had given her, left content.

The Marshal dumped the bag's contents and began checking them all.

"Good. They're all here," he said, "Cid, get a bucket and fill it with warm water. Not hot, warm."

Cid left, wondering if he was being sarcastic or cautious, and asked the innkeeper. The innkeeper thought for a second, then left. He returned with a bucket filled with water. It was cold though.

"It really needs to be warm... Not hot but warm," Cid said to the innkeeper, who sighed and walked back outside, dumping the water unceremoniously on the ground outside.

"Sorry," Cid offered helpfully to the departing man.

The innkeeper about three minutes later with the warm water. Cid thanked him and went back into the room with the bucket. He placed it down by The Marshal and went to check on Lucca's condition. She was still okay, but her right arm was beginning to show signs of infection.

Cid walked back to The Marshal, who was grinding the objects and placing the powders into the warm water. "How do you know so much about this stuff?" Cid asked.

"I've had to deal with this before. Being a bounty hunter, you find some people who don't want to go. Or die."

"Die? You kill people?" Cid said staring at the large man with suspicion, remembering Marle's accusations.

"Bandits and outlaws," The Marshal replied, "And sometimes I'm hired to return missing people, just return. Without the killing part. But some people don't want to go. They use all sorts of weapons to show how good a return trip sounds to them. Some weapons are poison darts. Guardia forest used to flourish with poisonous plants. Still does, but not that quantity it used to have."

The Marshal picked up a stick and began stirring.

"Will this work?" Cid asked.

"Let's hope so," was the reply, "I don't know exactly what kind of poison those monsters use to kill their prey, but I 'do' know the ailments and they are a lot like another poison I know. This is the remedy for that poison, I hope it'll work for this."

Cid didn't answer, but he suddenly had a fear that it didn't matter if they were late or not.

Cid became nervous as the Marshal continued stirring. He plucked at the front of his new shirt, bought just a day ago at a nearby shop. Finally, just to do something, he asked, "What's your real name?"

The Marshal stopped stirring for a second, then continued, "My parents died when I was too young to understand. I was adopted, but I never knew my parents... or my name. They had been killed by a bandit, because they didn't have any money."

"The one who adopted you, what did she name you?"

"Does it matter?"

"It's just that 'The Marshal' isn't really a good name for friends to call each other.

"Friends?" The Marshal laughed, "I never thought I'd have one of those."

Cid remained adamant however, "So what is it?"

"It's not very original."

"Neither is Cid."

The Marshal laughed again. He added a few more things and began stirring again, "Fine. It's Marshall."

Cid thought for a moment, "So that's what you meant by not original."

Marshall nodded, "The lady thought I was bad luck, that I had brought bad luck on my parents and killed them. She made me strong so that I could protect her from whatever my 'bad luck' would bring. She called me 'her little Marshall', her little protector."

"It must have been hard for you," Cid sighed.

Marshall didn't respond, instead he changed the subject, "That Magus person. I don't think Magus is his real name either."

"Really?"

Marshall nodded, "You can see it in his eyes. He has something he hides, and whenever someone calls him Magus, he flinches slightly, as if he hates the name."

Cid thought, "You see a lot in people's eyes, don't you?"

Marshall nodded again, banging the stick lightly against the rim of the bucket so that the mixture stuck to the twig dropped off into the antidote, "Your eyes allow you to look out to the world, but they also allow the world to look into you."

"What do you see in my eyes," Cid asked suddenly, staring at Marshall and allowing his eyes to be inspected.

Marshall looked at Cid, "I see... fear and loneliness."

"Is there ever anything good in a person's eyes?" Cid asked as Marshall stood up with the concoction.

The Marshal shook his head, "Hardly ever. A person likes to share his happy moments, he brings them to the open and doesn't try to hide them. But the bad part of his or her life is stored inside, kept from the rest of the world. Only through the eyes can you see a person's secrets."

Marshall pulled out a cup and poured some of the liquid into it. "Here," he said handing the cup to Cid, "give this to her."

Cid walked over to the sleeping form. The sickness had spread all over her now and her breathing had slowed down slightly. That shallow, slow breathing was all that kept Cid's hopes up.

He sat her up and put the cup to her mouth. Then he held her head and began pouring the antidote. He hoped that this would work.

After that was done, he laid her back down and faced Marshall. The bounty hunter nodded his consent and said, "Now we can just wait."

"That's the option I don't like to resort to," Cid said, "But you're right."

xxxxx

Crono and Marle walked side by side down the slight path that led to the Cursed Woods. It had been a day now since they had left the others on their trip to get Glenn.

Neither had seen Glenn since the separation two years ago, and both were anxious to meet him. They walked at a slightly quicker pace than they normally walked.

Crono looked at Marle, he had a question that had been burning inside of him all day.

"Marle?" he asked apprehensively.

She turned to him, not slacking up in her pace, "Yes?"

"Why do you hate The Marshal so much?"

She stopped dead in her tracks. Crono didn't notice for a moment, then looked back to see her three steps behind him. He turned around and asked again, "There's something, and I was just-"

"I don't want to talk about it, Crono," she replied snippily.

"I would prefer it if you would. Maybe you can work it out with him and then we wouldn't have to worry about you trying to kill him."

"I won't kill him," she said, walking again.

Crono waited for her to catch up, then paced alongside her, "Then at least tell me why you hate him so much."

She was silent for a moment, then spoke, "I'll tell you when I'm ready."

Crono waited for a moment, but when it was evident she wasn't going to say anything else, he finished, "Fine by me. Just make it quick, it makes me nervous having to step in between you two every few seconds."

xxxxx

Glenn was sparring with a tree. He swung left and right at the already severely chipped tree. Miraculously, the sword had not dulled. The Masamune was a magical sword, of course.

Though he was still a frog, Glenn had still lived his life. This was what fate left him, and he would use it to his best advantages.

He darted around the tree, glancing blows all around it. A few more minutes of this and he would return to his home.

His home was a hole in the ground, hidden by a bush. He had dug out a sizable room in there and it was now livable. It had been his home for these many years after Cyrus's death and his defeat.

He had never forgiven Magus for what the sorcerer had done. It WAS he would not kill Magus now. It had been so long ago. But the anger was still there, festering in him. He attacked the tree in increased ferocity at the thought of Magus.

Suddenly, he stopped. He heard footsteps crashing through the forest. He slowly turned and ducked to the ground. He hid the sword and its glow between him and the leaf covered ground.

The footsteps came closer and became louder. He peered from his hiding spot to distiguish the trespasser. Then it came into view. It was two people. When they came closer, he saw that it was...

"Crono! Marle!" he yelled jumping out of his hiding spot to greet them.

Crono, startled, jumped back and tripped over a log, falling to the ground. Marle, gave a slight shriek at the startling appearance before recognizing the figure.

"Ouch..." Crono moaned, rubbing his shoulder, which had taken the brunt of the fall, "Hi, Glenn. Why the surprise?"

"Sorry to have startled you," the frog said sheathing his sword, "There is nary a thing in these woods that can be trusted."

Marle stepped forward and hugged the startled frog, "Hi, Glenn," she said pulling back.

"Hello. What brings you here?"

Crono looked serious suddenly, "Could we go inside? This is important."

"This way," Glenn said walking toward his undeground home.

xxxxx

"Who is Nikades?" Glenn asked after Crono had finished.

"We really don't know," Marle said, "but Magus was really startled when we mentioned his name. Someone from his childhood, I guess."

"So Magus can be startled," Glenn mused, "it must be something big, then."

"He said that we would need your help, too," Crono said, "There is really something strange going on if he would ask for help. I can't even begin to understand it. Nikades was banished, then he returns with the help of Lucca's gatekeeper... _that's_all I know."

"And that's all that we can make of it," Marle finished.

Glenn thought about it, "And you say he attacked you in Magus's castle? Hmm... A few days ago, I awoke to a noise. When I went outside, the whole sky was alight with colors. It was if the world was surrounded by one big rainbow. Then, moments later, the light vanished. What was that?"

"I don't know," Crono shrugged, "but when I find Magus, I'll be sure to ask."

Glenn sat up, "You may rest here for the night. We'll be leaving in the morning."

Marle lit up, "You're coming then?"

"Aye. If this monster is the reason for Lavos, then I want to make sure something like that doesn't happen again."

xxxxx

Lucca was suddenly thrown through a black abyssal nothingness. She drifted, not knowing where she was.

"Hello?" she called, but no answer.

Then suddenly, she was facing Nikades. He was much more sinister than before. His black eyes shone with the flames of evil and his mouth was a fanged snarl. His aura seemed to crackle with the energy of his power.

Lucca tried to scream, but couldn't. She was held paralyzed by those evil eyes. Nikades laughed.

Then the picture faded and she was in the dark again. She tried to awaken, but couldn't. It was an endless nightmare and she couldn't escape.

Another vision came to her. She saw her parents both dead. They lay bleeding, looking up at her in blame with dead eyes. It was her fault. She tried to shut her eyes but the vision stayed as if imprinted in the insides of her eyelids. Then it too disappeared to be replaced by Guardia castle. The castle was burning and everyone in there was screaming and burning with the castle. She tried to close her ears.

Then there was Cid, on the verge of insanity. He was holding a Chrono Trigger, a time egg. Below him stood Crono, Marle, Glenn, The Marshal, and Magus. They were yelling something at Cid, but she couldn't hear. Then Marle raised her crossbow and fired.

It struck Cid throwing him down. She tried to yell at her friends...

Then she was facing Nikades again. However, he was no longer human. He was a god. He laughed at her pitifulness and inability to control the chaos that was around her. Then a fire consumed her and she fell to the ground, writhing in the flames.

Though she felt no agony, she screamed and rolled as the fire surrounded her.

Then a voice came to her ear, "All these things," said the voice.

Lucca looked up. The fire was gone and so was Nikades. Only blackness.

"...are what you have caused or will cause. Some have already happened, while some have not. None can be changed."

It was her own voice she heard. She looked around frantically, looking for the phantom.

"Your tinkering with time has reshaped the world. Kingdoms fall and time unravels. And now the worlds beyond time, beyond anything you can imagine are in chaos now. You have caused much death... will cause much more."

Lucca tried to deny, but she couldn't talk. She mutely shook her head in defiance.

"And the pain is not over, yet. Live yet longer... and witness the end of all."

Then suddenly, it was all gone. There was no blackness, no color. There was nothing.

Lucca opened her eyes and saw a blinding light. The sun was gazing in on her through the window. She blinked at the light, her nightmare fading away.

She shifted in the bed she was lying in, wondering what was happening. She felt extremely stiff.

Suddenly, Cid was there, blocking the blinding sun. He looked so happy.

"You're alive!" he said joyously, turning his head away form her to yell, "Marshall, she's up!"

She managed a smile back, "Hi, Cid."

"Hi, Lucca," he replied still happily smiling.


	24. Chapter 24

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 24

* * *

Time for the next test, Nikades thought with a smile.

They were coming ever so closer now. If he didn't deal with them now, they would reach him. He was not yet ready for such a confrontation. Soon though, if they were stalled, they could be easily crushed when they finally reached him, but Nikades was not a fool. Never underestimate a foe.

Anything could happen, and it always did. Prepare for the unexpected and expect even more.

Better now to deal with them than be defeated in a freak accident so close to his plan's completion.

He sent the instructions to Merjhra. Instructions for the destruction of these people. Banrin would succeed. Though stupid, Banrin was a swift and savage fighter.

Banrin would succeed; if not, Nikades had one more plan up his sleeve.

xxxxx

"How long have I been out?" Lucca asked Cid.

She was still in bed, too weak to do anything more that eat, drink, and talk.

"About six days now," Cid replied. He handed her a cup of water.

She took it, "Thanks," pulling it to her lips, she slowly drank.

"No problem," Cid replied.

He was sitting in a chair next to the bed. Outside the sun was up high, the time was around noon. Marshall had left earlier to look for Magus, who had mysteriously disappeared earlier. It was just the two of them.

"No. Thanks for saving my life earlier... back in the castle," she replied handing him the now empty cup.

"You were in trouble, I had to," Cid said, trying to sound calm and collected.

"Thanks all the same. I owe you one," she finished.

"But before you went out, you saved my life too. That would make us even," Cid said, trying to get the upper hand.

Lucca smiled at him, "But you had to carry me all the way out of the castle, didn't you?"

Cid replied, "The castle was destroyed, blown to bits. We had to crawl out through a collapsing cave with a big red dog after us."

Lucca was about to respond when suddenly her vision blurred and she was staring at one of the visions she had had during the nightmare.

Cid standing on a bluff, holding a Chrono Trigger. Marle shooting at him...

Lucca awoke suddenly, Cid was shaking her lightly.

"Lucca? Lucca?!" he kept repeating.

"I'm... I'm alright," she said, trying to hide her terror.

Cid stopped shaking her, but didn't release her, "You sure?"

"Yeah... I just need some rest. I'm still so tired and weak."

Cid sat up, "Whatever you say. Do you want me to close the curtains?" he asked walking over to the window.

"Sure," she said preparing to rest.

But rest was the last thing she wanted. She was afraid the nightmares would return and the reminders of her betrayal would haunt her mind. However sleep did come quickly and Lucca rested.

Cid looked down at her for a moment, wondering what was in her mind.

xxxxx

The next day, Crono and Marle returned with Glenn. Marshall had come back that night, with news of his fruitless search. Lucca had slept through the day and night, Cid sat in his chair watching over her. Now she was awake however, and she greeted Glenn happily.

Cid stared at the frog, trying to tear his eyes away.

"This trip has got to be the strangest thing to happen in my life," he whispered to himself.

He shook Glenn's hand however and didn't flinch or shudder at the wet-feeling skin.

"Where's Magus?" Crono asked finally.

"Don't know," Marshall answered, "he left at about the same time you did and hasn't returned yet."

The others all now knew The Marshal's real name, though it wasn't much of a difference.

"Should we leave without him?" Marle asked uncertainly.

"We'll stay here until Lucca heals completely. If he is still missing by then, then we'll have to wait here. He's the one who has to create the gate for us, remember?" Crono corrected her.

"To think we have to rely on one such as him now. This world is in such a sad state right now," Glenn said shaking his head.

"Then we have no choice but to wait for now." Marshall said, "That damn wizard."

So they spent the rest of the day talking with each other and making plans. None knew what Nikades was doing with the machine, but it could not be good. They had to prepare for the worst.

Magus returned that night.

xxxxx

"Where have you been?" Marshall demanded as Magus strolled inside.

"I have been thinking," was the reply.

"So are we ready to go?" Crono asked from his sitting position against the wall.

Marle was asleep against his shoulder and Crono shook her awake as Magus replied, "Yes. The gate will be at Denadoro Peak."

"Why there?" Crono asked, confused.

"It is the place with the most magical energies since my castle was... corrupted. And also, we're leaving right now."

"Denadoro Peak? Is that where you've been all of this time?" Marshall asked, leaning against the wall opposite Crono's.

"Yes. Most of the time. I had to make a side trip to my castle also. Now no questions, we must leave now." Magus said walking out of the room and into the night.

"Are you strong enough to walk now?" Cid asked Lucca from his chair beside the bedside.

"Yeah, no problem. But I'm going to need something other than this," she replied plucking at her gown.

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that," Cid said, jumping out of his seat and rummaging through a sack piled in the corner.

He produced a handful of clothing, "Here. We all got new clothing when we got into town, because the military garb was becoming annoying."

She took the clothes from him, "Thanks... now if you all don't mind, I'd like to change."

The others got up apologetically and left. She donned her new outfit after the door had shut. As a finishing touch she grabbed her sword and was about to belt it when another vision came to her.

The godlike Nikades stood before her.

"You'll need more than that to kill me," he said, laughing a hideous laugh.

She shook her head trying to free herself from the image. She closed her eyes, but she still heard the fading voice, "You set me free, so I won't make you suffer in your ever nearing death."

She huddled on the ground, the sword clattering on the floor. However, when she opened her eyes, it was all gone.

_My fault,_ she thought sadly, _it's all my fault._

She picked up her sword and belted it as she ran out the door, trying to catch up to the others.

xxxxx

"Why do we have to be so secretive about this?" Crono asked for the hundredth time.

For the hundredth time, Magus ignored him. He continued his watchful progress through the night toward Denadoro Mountains.

Seeing that no one was going to answer him, Crono sighed and remained quiet. Beside him, Marle shivered in the night's chill. Crono put an arm around her shoulders to warm her a little.

She murmured her thanks and plodded on.

Behind them was Cid and Lucca, whispering about whatever mechanical or electrical thing came to mind to each other. Behind Cid and Lucca still, bringing up the rear, were Glenn and Marshall. They both had their swords drawn and were wary about whatever had Magus so uneasy.

If Magus was uneasy at all, he didn't show it however. He continued quietly in his march toward his destination.

An hour later, they reached the foot of the mountain. It was almost midnight and the stars shone brightly overhead.

"So now can you tell me why we are being so secretive?" Crono asked, with a bit of spite in his voice.

"I was followed," was the only reply.

"So? From where? And are we still being followed?" Crono asked, looking behind him, as if he could actually see what Glenn and Marshall hadn't been able to.

"From here, boy. And yes, we are still being followed. I hoped to lose them, but it appears that they aren't so easily thrown. Now if you would shut up and let us continue, we might reach the gate before they find out what is happening." Magus said, a bit of sarcasm in his voice.

"I'm not stopping you. Continue if you like," Crono said with a waving gesture toward the mountain, "I'll be right behind you."

Magus made no reply. Instead, he turned and began his ascent, not looking back to see if the others were following. They had no choice but to continue, no matter how tired they were.

A half hour later, they had reached their destination. They were standing on a cliff's edge. Across from the cliff was a sparkling waterfall. The waterfall began about fifty feet above them and it dropped so far that its bottom couldn't be seen. Only darkness below. It was fairly obvious that if you fell, you were dead.

The group looked in wonder at the sparkling waterfall they now beheld. It was beautiful in the half light.

"Wow," Marle voiced her opinion, "I'd almost forgotten what it looked like.

To their left was the cave where Masa and Mune had been found two years earlier. It looked no different except for the fact that it was now empty.

Glenn looked around at the spot where Cyrus had been murdered. He glared at Magus hotly, "Why here?" he demanded.

"It is the spot with the most energy. Gates take a lot of energy to create. Too much for me alone. There is enough from your sword's resting spot to use to create one safely."

"Are we there?" Crono asked, breathing heavily.

"Full of questions, aren't we?" Lucca asked jokingly, with a look of serenity at the peaceful view.

"And why aren't YOU breathing hard?" Crono asked, "I would think that you would, considering you've just recently been able to leave bed."

Lucca shrugged. "Who knows? I feel great, and I'm enjoying the view."

Finally, Magus replied, "We are there."

Everyone was about to sigh with relief, when suddenly, Glenn answered ominously, "And so are they!"

Marshall turned from the waterfall to look into the darkness. He peered where Glenn was looking to see pairs of red eyes peering back.

"Damn..." he muttered, then yelled, "I hope you can get that gate up quickly Magus, or we'll be in big trouble!"

Magus didn't answer. He closed his eyes and spread his hands out to the side, palms up.

"I'm waiting for the black wind..." he murmured.

"And what does that mean?" Marshall asked indignantly.

Crono smiled at him, "You'll see."

"Huh?"

A gust of wind suddenly picked up, whipping Magus's bluish hair around. His cloak likewise swirled in the new wind, flapping and billowing.

Marshall was nearly caught off guard; if it weren't for his size, he would have been thrown to the ground.

Crono, Marle, and Lucca were prepared however, and held their ground. Lucca grabbed Cid's arm so he wouldn't be swept away.

"Gee, thanks kid!" Marshall yelled over the howling wind.

Crono smiled as the wind died down to a breeze.

Another howl, a beastly howl broke them from their reverie. The group minus Magus turned to the threat.

The demons exited their hiding spot and stepped forward about ten meters from the group, who were now quickly arming themselves.

Cid drew his knife and threw Lucca's, which he had been holding for her, to her. Crono, Glenn, and Marshall all had their swords already drawn and were now at the ready. Marle was holding her crossbow, with a new supply of deadly bolts to use. Magus, however remained in his stance, a look of the utmost concentration on his face.

However, there were only two demons. They paced back in forth like giant cats, waiting for an opportunity.

"Two shouldn't be too hard," Marshall whispered to the others.

Then another monstrosity stepped out of the darkness.

"Dear..." Marle began.

The monster was about a foot taller than Marshall, and about twice as wide. It had two inhumanly large arms and hands protruding from its large bulk. Dark brown skin stretched over it, its muscles shown clearly inside the layer. Its black eyes were slightly squinted as it surveyed its prey.

"You're next," it said in a high pitched, screeching voice, "Master Nikades says that since Banrin did such a good job last time, Banrin get to have more fun."

"The bigger they are-" Crono began.

"Please don't say that," Marshall said, "It's bad luck for me."

Crono laughed, "Sorry... Well, let's get to work."

The two demons started to advance ahead of Banrin. The group awaited the attack as the two monsters snarled and paced, looking for an opening for attack.

Then suddenly Banrin surprised them.

"No! Mine! They are Banrin's!" he yelled.

With a sweep of his arm, he sent the two surprised demons flailing off of the cliff and plummeting down, screaming to their demise at the bottom of the abyssal drop.

Marshall advanced on Banrin, muttering, "I hate backstabbers..."

"Banrin's first victim?" Banrin said bending over somewhat and dancing side-to-side, preparing to pounce.

Marshall continued to advance, "No. Banrin's first lesson," Marshall corrected.

Banrin pounced slamming his hand at Marshall. The bounty hunter nimbly dodged to the side as the hands smacked resoundingly against the ground.

"Lesson number one, don't underestimate." Marshall said cutting into the beast's left arm with his sword.

Banrin didn't scream in pain however. Instead, he raised his arm with surprising agility and backhanded Marshall. The seven footer was thrown into the air to land sliding a few feet from the cliff's edge.

Banrin advanced on the remaining group. A crossbow quarrel hit him in the shoulder, but he continued as if nothing had happened. Marle hastily reloaded.

"Lesson number two..." came a voice.

Marshall suddenly dropped from the ledge above Banrin and landed on its back. He raised his blade making to stab the monster in the neck.

"...expect the unexpected," Marshall finished.

Banrin flailed at Marshall, but couldn't find a hold. Crono and Glenn rushed up and began poking at the demon with their swords, which aggravated the monster even more. Lucca and Cid came around behind the demon and began stabbing its legs with their knives.

Marshall brought his sword down, but it broke when it hit the demon's backbone. The shattered shard spun in the air, landing several feet away and throwing up a small cloud of dust. The demon had a bony ridge down its back that Marshall hadn't noticed before. Then suddenly, he had an incredibly large, brown hand around him.

Marshall was thrown through the air again. He landed semi-gracefully and rolled, before finally finding purchase and rising to his feet. He grimaced in pain, he had sprained his wrist in the tumble.

Banrin swept his arm again and hit Crono. Crono was thrown back and he hit Marle. The two fell to the ground in a tangle.

Glenn ducked the next swipe and dived at the monster. His sword sunk into Banrin's hide and red blood poured out of the wound.

Then Marshall was standing by the demon once again, "Lesson number three-"

The demon didn't care what the lesson was, of course. Banrin swung his arm at Marshall, aiming to knock the giant off of the edge this time. However, the bounty hunter ducked the attack and reached into his cloak. He pulled out something and snapped his good wrist. A thin cord of wire sprung from his hand and flew toward the demon. It wrapped around the monster, making several loops before running out of slack. Marshall then tugged the taut wire. Banrin was caught off balance and was sent stumbling past Marshall. The cord broke from the weight, but it was too late. Banrin teetered on the edge, then fell.

Crono and Marle stumbled up, "Did we get him?" Crono asked.

"'Fraid so, son. You missed all the fun," Marshall said, tossing his broken wire to the ground.

"Banrin will have last laugh," cried a familiar voice from below.

"That little..." Marshall muttered, "That voice is so annoying."

The group ran to the cliff's edge to peer down. Banrin was still there.

His large hands had found purchase on the rocks behind the waterfall. The falls cascaded down on him, but the demon didn't even notice. Instead he was slowly climbing back up.

Cid turned to Magus, who was still concentrating, "You done with that yet?"

There was no reply.

"What do we do now?" Glenn asked, a look of puzzlement on his face.

Then Marle stepped forward, "Allow me."

She raised her hands and began concentrating on the water, "Let's hope I can still do this," she muttered.

Banrin was now laughing incoherently below as he continued his ascent. Magus was still not moving. The wind was still blowing, though it went unnoticed in the fray.

Then suddenly, Marle jerked. A circle of blue energy shot out of her body in all directions. A perfect sphere of light. The water turned to ice wherever it was touched by the energy. The falls stopped in its tracks, it had become one long icicle.

Marle stopped and looked down. She was smiling like a giddy kid, "It worked!" she said, jumping up and down in excitement.

Below them, Banrin was now encased in the iced waterfall. He struggled, but couldn't move at the moment.

Crono hugged Marle, "Good job. Now we just have to wait for Magus to finish-"

There was the sound of cracking below. They looked down to see Banrin's arms freeing themselves from their prison.

"Can't have Banrin so easily," the monster said as it started to pull itself out of the ice.

"Sure we can wait... but I doubt _he_will," Cid said sourly.

"Well, what now?" Lucca asked, eyeing the demon with disgust.

"You think old' Magus has enough time to finish?" Cid asked.

"Doubt it," Marshall replied, "Heck, with our luck, he'll finish and open his eyes to find Banrin eating the meat off of our bones."

"Well, what do we do?" Cid asked.

Marle aimed another bolt at the beast, but upon impact, the dart didn't even phase the monster.

Cid picked up a small rock and tossed it over the edge. It struck Banrin between its eyes. Blood dribbled from the cut, but Banrin continued as if nothing had happened.

"You shouldn't tease the evil monsters, Cid," Lucca teased him.

"Will have you, I will," Banrin repeated.

"Guess rocks won't work," Marshall replied, kicking another off of the edge. It flew and hit the ice, two feet from Banrin, rebounding and flying off into the darkness.

Crono looked at his sword for a moment then made his decision.

He strode to the edge of the cliff and looked down, calculating.

"Looks like it's my turn," he said, and, before anyone could object, he jumped off.

"Crono?" Marle began as he walked to the edge, then as he jumped, she yelled, "No!"

Banrin looked up in surprise as Crono descended on him. His arms were yet to be completely free, he could only stare up stupidly at the quickly dropping boy and his sword. The sword struck his head and entered the skull. Banrin jerked back in a death spasm as the blade shot out of his neck, followed by the monster's blood. His hand rose weakly to grab Crono.

Crono swung his sword, cleaving the hand off. It fell down into the abyssal darkness of the waterfall's bottom.

Banrin screamed in pain and thrashed about. Crono stabbed the demon repeatedly, until finally, it stopped moving.

Crono huffed, spent from the fight.

"Crono?!" Marle yelled down to him in a frightened voice.

"I'm alright. I'll be back up in a moment," he said with a smile.

"Hurry! The ice's melting!" Lucca yelled back.

Crono's smile evaporated and he quickly began climbing the ice. He used his sword as an ice pick, hacking it into the ice and pulling himself up. Luckily the water had frozen unevenly and he was able to find footholds to help his sword. Water was running on his hand now, telling that the ice was indeed melting. And melting fast.

"Crono, look out!" Marle yelled again.

He looked above his recent handhold to see a small crack appearing and enlarging two feet above him.

"Dang it," he muttered and leapt up, digging the sword deep into the ice, just a couple of inches above the crack.

Then the ice gave way. The fifty-foot icicle fell with the dead Banrin still encased in it. It seemed to fall forever.

Crono was left suspended, hanging onto his sword, which was stuck inches above where the ice had split.

"Crono?!" Marle yelled.

"I'm... I'm alright," he said, petrified by what he had just survived.

"Damn, boy! Hurry up," Marshall said, beginning to pace back and forth.

Below, the ice hit the ground. It sounded like a thousand glass jars being dropped and broken simultaneously. The noise was horrendous and Crono almost let go of the sword to cover his ears. Then moments later, the noise abated.

Crono pulled himself up until he was able to get a hold of the ice with his other hand. Then he continued his climb. Pretty soon, he was able to use his feet again.

He was now climbing quickly, he was about ten meters below the others, and the distance was closing rapidly.

Below him, more of the ice collapsed and fell. It too shattered on the earth so far below, though not as loudly.

Then he looked up as he heard a snapping noise begin.

"Not again," he said despairingly, and continued with a doubled effort.

He was now even with the others, they were across the chasm from him, about ten feet away.

"Jump, Crono," Marle pleaded, looking up at the top of the waterfall, where cracks were appearing.

"Too far," he said and continued his climb.

He climbed ten more feet up, with the ice now half water, which cascaded down like the waterfall it had originally been. Another snapping noise caused him to look up.

The ice was almost at its breaking point. He checked his height. It would be a close jump, but it would have to do.

The ice cracked and began to fall as he released his handhold and pushed off of the icy column with his feet. He released his sword, he couldn't afford to lose momentum pulling it out of the ice.

The ice made a final crack and fell, the waterfall, now restored, followed it down into the abyss.

Crono flew through the air toward the edge, where the others now perched with worried looks.

He reached out and grabbed the edge. He slammed into the cliff's face and grunted with pain, but didn't release the hold.

Below, the ice crashed to the ground in an ear splitting shattering noise that lasted much longer than Crono had wanted it to.

Then huge hands enveloped his, and he was pulled up by Marshall.


	25. Chapter 25

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 25

* * *

"Thanks," Crono said to Marshall as he was hauled up.

"No problem, boy," Marshall replied, "but you are insane. If you asked me to do something like that, I'd laugh at you."

Glenn stood forward and shook Crono's frozen hand, "You are truly fearless, Crono."

"Reckless more like it," Crono replied.

"Don't they mean the same thing?" Marshall asked.

"Oh, absolutely," Crono replied.

Marle ran to the redhead and gripped him in a viselike hug, "Crono! Don't do that again!"

He hugged her back. Over her shoulder, he could see that the gate was now open, Magus was still in concentration though. Stoic-still and unaware of the events around him.

"Crono?" Marle asked.

"Huh?" he replied.

"Please don't do that again. Promise me you won't do something stupid like that again."

He tightened his hold on her, "I'll try."

Lucca and Cid walked up to him, "Looks like you delayed him some," Lucca said with a grin.

"Yeah. Much better than throwing rocks," Cid finished, grinning likewise.

Crono smiled back to the two and Marle finally released him, "Shall we go then?" Crono asked indicating the gate.

They walked over to where Magus stood, still unmoving.

"Umm... Magus?" Cid asked, laying a tentative hand on the wizard's shoulder.

Then Magus did move. He staggered from the contact, then fell to the ground, his energies spent.

"Is he all right?" Marshall asked.

Marle went over and dropped to her knees by the still form, "He's just tired... He nearly killed himself for us. And to think that I used to think that he was such a cold and uncaring person."

Glenn looked puzzled, "He wasn't one to do something like this. Why would he give so much of himself to help us. He usually only did something if it helped himself."

Marle glanced over her shoulder at Glenn, gaining an accusing tone in her voice, "He has done nothing but help us recently, you know. People change."

"If you remember, he killed a dear friend and made me what-" Glenn began, trying to keep a civil tone.

"Not now, you two," Crono wisely decided to quell the conversation before it became an argument, "We have an injured man here. You can discuss why _you_ hate Magus," Crono indicated Glenn, "later... And we can also discuss why _you_," Crono indicated Marle, "hate Marshall so much."

Marle gasped at the accusation, but fell silent; it was true. Glenn nodded his head, "I understand."

"Yes... Sorry," Marle finally admitted.

Cid pulled out his water pouch and opened it up, "Should I give him some water?"

"Do it," Crono replied.

"What about this?" Lucca asked, indicating the gate, "Where does it lead?"

"It leads to the year 1000, remember?" Crono said.

Cid finished pouring and recapped his water. Then as an afterthought, he reopened it and drank some himself; finally he closed and pocketed it.

"I know that, stupid," Lucca replied, "But _where_in that time is it?"

"Maybe you should ask him," Crono replied, indicating Magus.

Lucca was about to make a retort when Cid interrupted, "When will he wake up?"

"I don't know," Marle said, "He used himself up pretty much... I'd say... A few hours."

"To recover?" Marshall asked.

"To wake up," Marle replied, "He won't recover for a few days."

"Good to know," Marshall made a face, "So what do we do?"

"Should we just rest her until morning?" Cid asked, "How long will that stay open?"

"Don't worry, Cid," Lucca replied, "It'll stay open until Magus or someone who can closes it."

"Then we rest?" Glenn asked.

"Yeah, but we'll need a watch," Crono replied.

"No problem, I'll do it," Marshall volunteered, "See you in the morning."

Marshall began walking away from the clearing, into the darkness cast by the mountain's shadow.

Marle was about to say something, then remained quiet.

"Let's hit the hay, then," Cid said, looking for a soft spot to lay down.

The others nodded. They had had an interrupted sleep earlier, now was the time to finish it.

They all went to sleep. The sleep was short, but they were tired, so it was a much-needed sleep.

However, Lucca's sleep was plagued with the all too familiar nightmares.

Cid being attacked.

Guardia shattered in a civil war.

Her family dead.

And Nikades a god gloating over all that occurred.

xxxxx

That night, in the year 1002, the rebel force "The Queen's Men" struck again. This time they raided an arms shipment. The boat had come from Porre and was docked at Truce harbor.

Three of Guardia's royal guard were dead. Six sailors were killed. There were no survivors on the boat.

All of the weapons were gone. Gunpowder, swords, shields, and armor were taken.

The king has now declared the rebel force treasonous and to be killed on sight. No trial. They were a threat to the kingdom, he stated.

This statement shocked many. Some people have sided themselves with The Queen's Men now, feeling that the king is using what is beyond his power.

The sides are being chosen and the tension is building.

A war is brewing.

xxxxx

Magus opened his eyes, his eyelids heavy yet slightly yielding. Above him was the shadowed peak of Mt. Denadoro. He quickly lifted his head and looked around him.

It was dawn, the sunrise just barely visible. Everyone else was asleep, their bodies lying about him. At least everyone with the exception of Marshall. The large man was nowhere to be seen.

Magus, still tired, managed to stand and he looked at his surroundings for any sign of the giant.

"Awake?" asked a voice behind him.

Magus was startled, but he didn't show it. He remained still, not turning to face Marshall. "Yes, I am," he answered, "and it appears that you are too."

"Guard duty and all that, you know," Marshall replied, walking around Magus so that the two faced each other.

Marshall continued, "Are you fit to travel?"

Instead of answering, Magus replied, "What makes you think I'm coming with you?"

Marshall got a puzzled look on his face, "So you're staying here?"

"Did I say that? I merely said that you shouldn't assume anything of me. I do what I want."

"...And?" Marshall queried.

"Yes, I am coming. I have a... score to settle," Magus said slowly.

"...And?" Marshall pushed, "Are you fit to travel?"

"I will recover."

Marshall nodded, "Good enough. I'll wake the others and we'll leave in an hour."

Magus said nothing.

xxxxx

Pret entered his bedroom after yet another long day of politics. He was almost regretting his usurping of the throne, the power did come with its minuses.

As in long, boring days listening to the rabble whine.

He took off his crown and casually tossed it to the side. It clattered on the floor and slid, finally striking the wall and bouncing to a stop. Pret then took off his regal robe and threw it to the floor.

"Do you truly distaste the decorations so much?" asked a familiar voice from the corner of the room.

Pret spun at the voice, "Who?-Oh, Nikades. What is it?"

Nikades stood in the corner of the room. He still wore the infernal black robes, but the hood was off of his head, laid about the shoulders. His head was still bald. His eyes were no longer an ordinary black however, they glowed with some arcane power. They contradicted his pale skin very much.

Nikades held out his hand. The crown came off of the ground and flew to it. Nikades made as if to inspect the object, but his face was bored.

"It's gold, you know? Surely _that_would catch your interest."

Pret smirked, "It's not going anywhere. I have all day to admire it... What do you want, sorcerer?"

"I am here to... resign," Nikades replied.

"Resign?" Pret was taken aback.

"Yes. Your plans, simple as they are, are accomplished. Now my plans are in perspective, and I must finish them. I have about all I need from you."

"This has taken me by surprise, Nikades," Pret began.

"Then I will leave now," Nikades said walking for the door.

Pret continued, "-But, I can't allow you to leave. You see... you are the only person, with the exception of me, who knows the truth about my ascension. I can't allow you to go off and tell everyone about it."

"Too bad," Nikades replied, a grin creeping across his face, "I'll see you later, play king."

Nikades walked toward the door once more. He was about to open it, when Pret yelled, "Guards!"

The door opened and two guards ran in. They stood in the doorway, blocking any exit.

"Arrest him for treason against the king," Pret said, smiling at Nikades, "if you have outlived your usefulness..." he left the sentence incomplete, yet the meaning was there.

Nikades' grin became a hideous smile, "No... It is _you_who have outlived your usefulness."

The guards suddenly drew their swords and advanced on Pret.

"What are you doing?!" Pret yelled at the soldiers.

The soldiers continued their advance. Nikades continued to smile and he waved his hand in a goodbye gesture. The faces of the soldiers seemed to bend and shift as the spell was removed.

They were not soldiers; they were bipedal demons.

Pret cursed and ran away from them, looking for a weapon.

"Too late," Nikades laughed, "you _have_outlived your usefulness, however your position has not. I have need of a king still."

Pret almost sighed, but he had an ominous premonition at what was about to happen.

Nikades clapped his hands once.

A gust of wind suddenly erupted from outside the door. A shadow crept into the room.

It was barely visible, completely black. It had an etherealness to it, as though it were a ghost. It seemed to grow from nothing.

A living shadow.

The spectre seemed to expand, filling up the whole room. The walls, ceiling, floor, and furniture were suddenly dark as night. Only Pret, Nikades, and the two guards were there.

Nikades laughed, "Now you will serve me, not the other way around."

Pret fell to his knees, begging the sorcerer for his life, "Please don't..."

"Too late," Nikades replied, then spoke to the spectre surrounding them, "I have tired of you play king; what I need is a real king. Take him, shadow king; Thatos."

A roar erupted from all around Pret. It was a hideous roar, almost a laugh. Pret covered his ears and closed his eyes as he yelled against the horror around him.

Then the darkness began to pour from the surroundings. The spectre seeped from the wall almost like syrup. It poured into Pret's open mouth, seeping from the floor and ceiling. Pret's screaming stopped and he jerked about trying to fight the possession.

Finally, the last of the Thatos's being had entered him, the room was normal.

But Pret wasn't. His hands fell from his ears, then slumped to the side. Pret stood back up, his head lifted back to a level position. Then he opened his eyelids to reveal two completely black orbs.

Pret-Thatos smiled and the eyes twinkled back to the brown they had been.

Nikades smiled back, "You know what to do. I will leave now, to deal with those that cause us trouble. They draw nearer, and Banrin is dead."

Thatos simply nodded as Nikades and the two guards left.

The door shut on its own accord behind Nikades, leaving Thatos alone. The body of Pret jerked once more and then fell down onto the bed. The eyes remained open; they had returned to black again.

And deep inside those eyes was the spirit of Pret, trying but failing to free itself.


	26. Chapter 26

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 26

* * *

"Are you _sure_that this leads to my time?" Marshall asked Magus again.

"Nervous?" Cid asked jokingly.

"Nah, just a perfectionist." Marshall replied, "I'd hate to wind up in some other time and have to wander around."

They were all standing in front of the gate now. Magus was still worn, but he didn't have any complaints so they decided it was time to get back.

"You've got an excuse for everything, don't you?" Crono asked.

"Actually, you're wrong... Some of them I've got _two_excuses for. Just in case I've used up one of them." Marshall said, tightening his coat, "So are we leaving now?"

"Yeah," Lucca replied.

"Who's first?" Marshall asked.

No one volunteered immediately.

"Guess it's my turn again," Crono said.

He jumped into the bluish gate with no hesitation.

"Well, of course he'd do it; he's been doing it all his life," Marshall said to no one in particular. Then he jumped in too.

The others followed. Magus was last. As he jumped in, he closed the gate behind him.

Once again, Denadoro Mountains were peaceful. The waterfall fell infinitely, the sun's rays dancing on its drops. Plants stretched out to the warmth the sun provided and animals once more came out to hunt.

xxxxxx

"That was spectacular," Cid exclaimed, "Sure beats the roller coaster."

They were now standing in the center of Medina village.

However, it was now a smoldering ruin. The war had taken its toll.

Buildings were smashed and burned to the ground. The square was equally scorched; the statue of Magus was torn down and broken.

"Man I hate those rides, "Marshall said, lying on the ground, woozy. He looked around, "Why'd you land us in this dump?"

"Because it wasn't always a dump," Crono said slowly, stunned, "it _was_Medina."

"The town of monsters?"

"What happened?" Marle asked, equally stunned.

"Do you think Nikades did something with the gate? Maybe the whole world's like this..." Lucca said in a soft voice, nearly a whisper, feeling as if her prophecies had already been put to truth.

"No," Marle said, "We have to get to Truce! We can still stop him!"

"It was a battle," Magus said, peering at the destruction of the city of his once servants.

"What?!" Marle turned to the sorcerer, "With who?"

"Humans," was his reply.

Magus pointed to the surroundings, "Look. Human and Mystic corpses; armed."

"What're you talking about. Humans and Mystics are at peace." Crono queried.

"Not anymore..." Lucca replied.

"Maybe they were fighting together... Against the demons," Crono said almost pleadingly.

"Not likely," Magus said pointing again at a specific area, "Humans and Mystics do not fight together by running each other through."

The others gazed at two particular corpses that Magus had pointed at. A human and a Mystic piled together on the ground, each other's swords was still held by some death grip, but the blade end were each sticking into the other's holder's chest.

"Why would they fight?" Marle asked, turning away from the carnage.

"Probably something to do with Nikades," Crono said, "We have to find him and stop him."

"I don't entirely know what is happening, but I agree," Marshall replied, "So how do we get there. I doubt the ferry is in operation."

The others began thinking.

"We'll use Heckran's Cave," Crono said suddenly, "we can stop by Melchior's on the way. I definitely know that he'd know something about Nikades."

"That is a definite," Magus replied, "if he is alive."

"Yeah... If anybody is alive," Marle said ominously, looking at the destruction around her.

xxxxx

"Well, I guess he isn't going to help us much," Crono said, sighing as he witnessed Melchior's house.

The house was also destroyed, in fact it wasn't even there anymore. Only a square area of land uncovered by grass signified that it used to be there.

"I don't like this," Marle said, "let's hurry to Truce."

"Yeah, the cave's due north," Crono said, pointing in the said direction.

"I wonder if Truce is destroyed too," Glenn said.

"If it is, we'll just have to give that much more paybacks to Nikades," Crono said.

They reached the cave an hour later. The sun was nearing the western horizon, but not too near. It was around three o'clock.

Crono walked into the entrance, "It's a little dark. Do you have a torch in that wonder cape?"

Marshall looked hurt, "Wonder cape?"

"Nevermind that, do you have a torch," Crono pressed.

"No."

"You mean you have all these swords, knives, and crossbows... Not to mention a medicine stock, bola, and antidotes; but you don't have a single torch?" Crono asked, amazed.

"I don't need torches. I can see just as well in the dark," Marshall replied, a bit offended.

Magus strolled into the cave. He held up his hand and a sphere of light emerged from it. It illuminated the nearby areas just as well as a torch, if not better.

"Will this do?" he asked.

"Aren't you supposed to be wary about using magic after your... collapse?" Marle asked hesitantly.

"I'm fine," he replied in a neutral voice.

"But-" she pressed.

"If I do collapse again, it'll be my problem, not yours. So don't worry," he said, with a touch of finality in it.

"Actually," Crono answered, "we'll be without a light, so it _will_be our problem."

"If I don't do this, you'll be without a light anyway."

"Fine by me, drain yourself dry then." Crono said stepping into the caverns.

Magus remained silent. Instead he walked into the cave, leaving the others with no choice but to follow.

xxxxxx

They were now standing in front of the waterhole. Magus still had his light, he had not tired as of yet.

"So... Is this anything like going through a gate?" Marshall asked, giving the water a glance.

"You remember how the gate was?" Crono asked.

"Oh yeah," Marshall replied, nodding and giving a shudder.

"This is worse," Crono said, with a grin.

"Gee, thanks," Marshall said, now giving a fearful look at the water.

"You all do know that this'll land you right at Lucca's doorstep, don't you?" Marle said to the others.

"That's where The Gatekeeper is, and that's where Nikades'll be," Lucca said, "Unless he took it with him... No he couldn't do that. My house is the only house in the world that has electricity. He'll be there."

Glenn nodded, "And chances are, Nikades is prepared for us."

"With The Gatekeeper," Lucca said.

"So are we going?" Cid asked stepping up to the water.

"Got to prepare first," Marshall said, drawing a sword.

The others likewise drew their weapons. Crono had lost his old sword at the waterfall, but he had reequipped himself with a sword from one of the dead bodies back at Medina.

"Ready!" Marshall said, then he looked at the water and remembered what Crono had said, "I think..."

"Then let the battle begin," Glenn said.

Crono and Marshall jumped in first. Then Glenn and Magus followed. Cid, Marle, and Lucca came in last.

The swirling waters swallowed them and they were thrown into a turbulent ride toward their foe.

xxxxx

Thatos looked out of the window at the setting sun. Night was the best time for a spectre, and he was anxious for the day to end. He eyes glowed evilly with the anticipation.

"Your Majesty?" asked someone who had walked into the door.

Thatos/Pret turned toward the voice; the eyes reverted to their normal color. The royal cape swished behind him to accentuate his movements. He replied to the aide, "What is it?"

"The general sent me to tell you that our spies have picked up some activity to the west... In the forest where the cathedral burned down."

"What is this activity?" Pret asked impatiently, giving a look toward the window and the sunset outside.

"It has been announced as the... Um... Where the rebels are. They are around one hundred strong." the aide was nervous.

"So we have finally found them?"

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty."

"Good. Send a message to the general. Tell him to prepare to attack the rebels. He will leave in the morning with... Five hundred sounds about right... Tell him to leave in the morning with five hundred."

The aide bowed and turned to leave, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"And tell him to use any means necessary in defeated these ingrates. Even if the forest must be burned." Pret turned from the aide and walked to the window. The sunset was ending.

"Burn the forest, Your Majesty?!"

"Yes. It's been a dry season so far. He shouldn't have any trouble. But only if the need arises. Got that? Good, then leave!"

The aide scurried out of the room leaving Thatos to bask in the coming night.

xxxxx

"Sir!"

The leader of "The Queen's Men" turned his head, "What?"

"We've found a spy, sir!" the rebel/soldier yelled out to his commander.

A man was pushed into the tent that served as the commander's home.

"A spy, hm?"

The commander got out of his chair and began inspecting the captive. He looked at the man very closely, almost in a trance.

Finally he looked up, "Let him go."

"But-"

"He's an innocent man, not the enemy."

"He'll tell the king where we are!"

The commander turned from the soldier, "If there's one spy, there's more. It's too late to hide now. We'll have to expect an invasion now. Let him go."

"...Very well, sir."

The spy was led out of the tent roughly. The commander thought about the turn of events and finally decided to take action.

He walked out of the tent and began yelling for the men to group together, he was going to give orders. A few minutes later, the unit was grouped.

It was night now. The sun set an hour ago. Several of the soldiers had brought torches, though.

The commander stood at attention in front of his army and began to give his instructions for war.


	27. Chapter 27

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 27

* * *

The group washed ashore, near Lucca's house. The sun was gone, only the moon shone overhead. It was slightly past midnight. The house looked like a hideous behemoth rearing over them; and in front of it lay the gatekeeper.

Nikades was nowhere to be seen. However, that was normal at night.

Marshall stood up and shook like a dog, "You're right, that _is_bad. Remind me not to do that again."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Cid chimed in.

Cid stumbled around a few feet, dizzy from the spinning of the whirlpool. Marshall however, seemed to at least control himself. The others were well used to this ride, they weren't as affected.

Marle wrung out her ponytail like a rag, "Where's Nikades?"

"Mayhaps he is gone," Glenn said quietly.

The frog had his sword drawn, the Masamune shone with a faint blue glow. Marshall stopped reeling and balanced his sword in one hand, suddenly aware that he was in danger.

Crono likewise held his sword out, defensive over any movement in the shadows. Marle had her crossbow, while Cid and Lucca each held a dagger. Magus held, as usual his scythe, extended. They were a deadly group.

"At least the house is still here," Crono joked, trying to release the tension he was fighting.

"And The Gatekeeper," Lucca finished, a voice filled with relief.

The Gatekeeper stood stoically in the center of the lawn. Grass had grown vibrantly around it, but it stood out plainly.

"That's three pluses in my opinion," Marshall said, "I really didn't want to meet up with that guy again."

"Too bad," said Crono behind him in a challenging voice.

"Now don't be sarcastic," Marshall said turning to the boy.

"That wasn't me," Crono said, the tension building in him again, "I didn't say anything."

"Sure sounded like you," Marshall pressed.

"Well, it wasn't," Crono said, now defensive.

"Of course it wasn't," said the voice again, this time sounding like Magus.

"You sure?" Marshall turned to Magus.

"Everyone just shut up! It's a trick!" Marle yelled.

A wind was now starting to blow. It whistled as it blew against them. A cloud slowly passed over the moon, completing the darkness.

"Why don't you shut up?" asked a voice that sounded like Lucca.

Marle covered her ears and yelled against the increasing wind, "Quit it!"

"Some game," Marshall said, looking around carefully. He ran his remaining hand through his wet hair.

"I don't like this..." Glenn said, the Masamune seemed to intensify its glow as the wind picked up.

"Oh, but you're not supposed to," said the voice of Cid.

"I know that's Nikades," Crono said suddenly, "he used the same trick to lure me and Marle into a trap; used Lucca's voice."

"Like this?" asked the voice of Lucca.

"Everyone, just keep their mouths shut until this is over, okay?" Marshall said, "That way we can ignore the voices."

"Good idea," said the voice of Crono, "Such a large and agile man, yet you have a brain in there too."

Marshall remained silent at the remark. So did everyone else.

The wind was now nearly a gale. The ocean beat upon the coast relentlessly, the noise combined with the wind to create a truly loud noise. The moon reappeared from behind the cloud for a second, then was again hidden.

"Had enough of my game?" asked the voice again, using Marshall's voice.

The group began to slowly step together, not wanting to get separated.

Then suddenly, "Crono behind you!," yelled the voice of Marle.

Crono whirled around sword swinging. Behind him was Lucca. He tried to stop the swing, but it had too much momentum. Lucca, hearing the voice and judging her location, knew what was going to happen and managed to jump out of the way just in time, the sword hit air.

Somewhere off in the distance, they heard a laugh.

Crono looked at Marle for a second and she replied, "It wasn't me..."

Crono nodded and turned back to Lucca, "Sorry."

Lucca had a scared look on her face. She had had a brush with death yet again. But she managed a, "It's all right."

"Very well. Then let's play a new game." said the voice again, this time using the voice of someone none of them knew.

"No more games!" yelled Cid.

"Oh, but you know this game. We all play it all the time. It's the game of..."

There was a rumbling noise and the ground started shaking. The wind picked up to hurricane levels and the clouds completely covered the moon. There was absolutely no light.

"Umm... What's going on?!" Marshall yelled over the wind.

No one answered him. They couldn't hear him. Then the earth seemed to buckle. The group was thrown to the ground.

The earth finally stopped shaking, however the rumbling was still extremely loud. It sounded as if it was from an extreme distance. The wind also faded away, but the noise of the gusts still remained.

Then the clouds removed their cover from the moon. The wind and rumbling noises ceased. It was completely quiet.

The group looked up at the sky.

"Dear..." Marle muttered.

"That's impossible," Cid and Lucca said together, science at a loss.

The moon was no longer what it had been. It now shone with a completely crimson, red light. It seemed to be almost on fire.

"And just what in the hell is that?" Marshall cried out, his head bent back so far to see the moon it looked broken.

"It looks like a red moon to me," Crono answered.

"I know that!" Marshall answered his sarcasm.

"Then why'd you ask?" Crono replied.

"Nevermind," Marshall said, shutting his mouth for the moment.

The red light shone all around them now, the world looked like one giant bloodbath. Even Lucca's hair, once a vibrant, near purple brown, was now a deep red. Two smaller moons reflected in the lens of her glasses.

"...life and death," the voice of Nikades finally finished.

It was all quiet now, in front of Lucca's house. The rumbling had finally abated, yet the moon still shone with the eerie, red fire. Nikades presence was still there.

"And just what is that?" Cid finally asked, looking up at the moon in amazement and fear.

"It's an illusion made by Nikades. A very powerful one," Magus replied, "this is beyond what even I could do."

"I don't think we have time for an explanation right now," Crono said, looking at the moon, "let's get this over with; then we can talk about the end of the world."

Marshall nodded, "And where is that 'pain'? He's around here somewhere."

"Too right," Nikades' voice echoed from the house, "Come and get me."

The group looked at the house. "Trap," Marshall, Lucca, and Crono said together.

"Do we have a choice?" Glenn asked.

"Why don't we just take The Gatekeeper and smash it or something?" Crono asked.

Nikades' laughter erupted again and The Gatekeeper disappeared from sight. Only a small area of crushed grass signified its previous resting place.

"Nevermind," Crono said sadly.

"Then let's enter the house," Marshall finished.

Nikades continued laughing as the group all turned ominously toward the house and aproached it, Nikades was enjoying this very much. The house seemed to shift and warp, almost as if it had a life of its own. It no longer looked homely and safe, it was evil. It was almost as if the house itself was doing the laughing, was the embodiment of Nikades himself.

"What do we do now?" Marle asked in a small voice.

"Charge?" Marshall asked, scratching his head.

"Yeah," Crono agreed, "like I said before, 'let's get this over with'."

The group walked toward the house. It was now a red color in the moon's light, which made it more uninviting. Cid looked at it closely as they opened the door and entered the living room. When they were all inside, the door shut behind them.

Glenn turned quickly and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. "No use, 'tis jammed," he said releasing the door and turning around to face the room.

"The word is 'locked'," Cid said.

"I sorta expected that," Crono mumbled to himself, thinking of him and Marle being trapped in Lucca's room before.

The room was completely empty. No furniture or equipment of any kind. Up on the balconies stood two of the black dog-like demons. Their red eyes glowed under the black skin that adorned them.

"Two's no problem," Crono said, hefting his sword into a ready stance.

"Don't say stuff like that. If you do, more'll come," Marle said. She had the crossbow out and loaded.

"Just watch their claws, will ya?" Marshall said, likewise raising his sword, "I don't have any antidotes to that venom with me."

The demons bounded off of the balcony they each rested upon and landed in front of the group. The ground creaked with the impact, the demons claws scraped on the wood.

"First test," said the voice of Nikades.

A crossbow quarrel suddenly struck the demon on the left, piercing its ribs and into where its heart should be. The quarrel stuck out of it, but the demon paid it no mind.

"Oh yeah, one other thing... The demons don't have a circulatory system or whatever. Aim for the brain or appendages," Marshall said as an afterthought.

Then the demons charged. The demon on the right came at Magus and the other charged Crono and Glenn.

Magus almost seemed to yawn as he raised his scythe over his head. Then as the demon jumped at him, he swung it down in a deadly arc. It sliced and imbedded itself into the monster's neck, throwing the demon back onto the ground. The scythe continued, exited through the bottom of the neck and into the floorboards, pinning the demon to the ground.

The demon continued to struggle, and began to pull the scythe out of the wood. Magus, his face calm and impassive as usual, pointed at the demon's head and concentrated.

The demon's head exploded. Bits of it was showered everywhere. The demon went limp immediately and Magus was allowed to free his scythe.

Crono sidestepped the lunge toward him. The demon turned quickly to face him and swung with a clawed hand. Crono backed away, the blow missing by an inch. The demon then swung his other claw at him. Crono raised his sword and parried the strike with the sharp end of the blade. The claw was severed by the demon's arm's momentum. It spun through the air to land on the floor a few feet away.

However, the demon was still game. It limped toward Crono, preparing to bite his neck. Another crossbow quarrel embedded itself into the monster, this time in the cheek. The monster ignored this however and continued to advance. Crono stepped back, matching the monsters every move.

"Duck!" yelled a voice.

Crono didn't need to be told twice. He fell back, landing on the ground, holding the sword so it wouldn't cut him. Above him, he could see Glenn's sword arc through the air, beheading the surprised demon.

The monster clumg to life a few moments afterwards, but finally collapsed to the ground. No blood pooled onto the ground.

"Thanks," Crono said as he stood up, dusting himself off.

"Welcome," Glenn replied, inspecting the still clean and sharp Masamune.

Marshall was standing over Magus's demon, "You know, that was just a little excessive. Just a little, mind you."

"What would that be?" Magus asked, not really caring what the answer was.

"A simple blow to the head would have done it. I was goint to do that for you. But before I could get here, you go and blow the whole damn thing off!" Marshall shook his head in disbelief, "Man, that's grisly."

"Whatever you will," Magus replied, looking around him, "but the demon no longer stands."

The group gathered back together, preparing for the next challenge. Then Nikades's voice came down to them from above, "Up here, children."

"He's in... my room," Lucca said quietly.

"Yeah, let's go," Marshall said, walking toward the door that led to the stairway.

"So this is your house?" Cid said in a wondering voice, " I sorta thought there'd be furniture or something."

Lucca acually laughed, that was good in her recent state, "It wasn't always like this," she said looking around. She almost didn't recognize it.

Marshall opened the door and the group piled into the small hallway. "Which way?" the large man asked.

Not surprisingly, the door shut behind them. No one ventured to try and open it.

"To the left," Lucca replied.

The group started to climb the stairs. Then a voice entered Lucca's head, "Got a surprise for you in the kitchen, little one."

"Wait!" she yelled.

The others stopped and turned toward her. "What?" Crono asked impatiently.

"You go ahead. I'm going into the kitchen," she said starting to turn around.

"Now's not the time to eat, Lucca," Marshall said slowly.

"Why?" Crono asked Lucca.

"Does it matter? I'll catch up to you in a second."

"Can't do that. We need someone to go with you," Marshall replied, "Don't like separating in the first place, but I trust your judgement. Who'll go with her?"

"I will," Cid volunteered, not surprisingly.

"Very well. Let's go finish this." Marshall said, waving the others up the stairs, leaving Cid and Lucca alone at the base.

"Thanks," Lucca said to Cid as she prepared to open the door.

"No problem," Cid replied, he had his knife out and was ready for a fight.

xxxxx

The others stepped into Lucca's room. The room was also empty, but it was also pitch black, no light whatsoever. The door shut and locked behind them.

"Welcome," said a voice they all knew.


	28. Chapter 28

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 28

* * *

Lucca slowly peered into the kitchen. It looked like her kitchen had always looked, which was a surprise. Everything was in its place, no destruction anywhere.

"What's there?" Cid asked, trying to get a look past her.

"I don't see anything," Lucca replied quietly, "I don't like this."

"Then why don't you go in and investigate?"

Lucca and Cid both whirled at the sudden voice. "What?!" Cid exclaimed, startled.

Crono stood behind the two, "Let's go in and have a look."

"What are you doing here?" Lucca asked.

Crono patted his sword, which was belted, "Can't let you go in here alone."

"But I'm-" Cid began.

"Do you have a sword?" Crono cut him off.

"Well, no-" Cid said slowly.

"Then I'll tag along and make sure Nikades doesn't have any surprises."

"Okay, Crono, Lucca said, running her hand through her hair in thought, "Well, let's go in."

She turned and carefully walked inside.

"Second test," said a familiar voice.

The door slammed shut behind Lucca, separating her from Crono and Cid. She turned to it quickly and began beating on it, "Cid?! Crono?! Help!"

The door wouldn't budge.

"Hey, Lucca," asked the voice of Nikades, "Are you ready for that surprise yet?"

xxxxx

Cid hit the door again, to no avail. "It's locked!" he yelled at Crono, who watched him impassively.

Cid continued to beat at the door for a moment, then turned toward Crono, "Well? Help me!"

In response, Crono smirked at him and drew his sword. Cid didn't like the implications that motion had in it. And then by intuition, Cid ducked.

The sword arched through the air and embedded itself into the door scant inches above Cid's head. Cid didn't know what was going on, but he wasn't one to sit around waiting for an answer.

He reared back with his fist and punched Crono square in the jaw. Crono stumbled back, seeming to shimmer and fade as he fell. The sword was left impaled into the door. Cid raised his arms, preparing for a fight.

Crono regained his sense of balance and faced Cid, smiling again. His eyes were a pitch-black now.

"What are you?" Cid asked, pressing himself against the door.

"Annoyed at that cheap rabbit-punch, is what I am," it replied, then charged Cid with both arms raised over its head.

The two hands seemed to grow claws, which replaced the fingers as they arched toward Cid. Crono brought the weapons down toward Cid's throat. Cid ducked and rolled out of the way as the hands hit the door, making a scraping noise.

The monster turned quickly toward Cid, who had circled around to its back. Its skin was slowly changing to a pale dark brown. Its teeth were gaining an edge to themselves and saliva seemed to fleck on its lips. It looked at Cid with its black eyes and raised its clawed hands in a ready stance for fighting.

Cid didn't have much room in such a small place. He would have to find an opening quickly.

Then it howled a battle cry. Cid turned to the stairs, but they weren't there. He heard the beast shuffle toward him and knew he had made a mistake.

xxxxx

"Where are we?" Marle asked, looking around at their new surroundings.

The pure blackness that had surrounded them was now gone. They were standing on nothing, suspended over a strange pulsating light below them. The blue light illuminated the area around them. It stretched out for an infinite distance as if they were standing in limbo.

"Like my sparring room?" Nikades asked.

The group turned toward the voice. A figure wearing black robes appeared in front of them. Nikades had finally shown himself. He laughed as they readied their weapons.

"Do you think you can fight me? I have escaped the worst punishment possible, just to return here. Do you think that I can be stopped at all now?"

"Sure do," Marshall said, stepping forward toward Nikades, "let's get this over with quickly, okay?"

Nikades laughed at the large man. This was the one who had given Nikades an entertaining fight before. "Then I shall fight you first."

Marshall held out his sword menacingly with one hand and used his other hand to throw back his cloak, revealing his crossbow. His face grew a look of determination on it. He yelled over his shoulder to the others, "This is between me and him. Don't involve yourselves yet."

"But-" Crono began.

"You can play with him when I'm done, Crono." Marshall said, laughing.

"You can't take him one-on-one, you idiot!" Crono said, grabbing Marshall by the arm.

"I fought him earlier and that fight never ended. Now I want to see who would have won. I always complete a mission... And this is a mission to me, so let me have at him, will you?!" Marshall tossed off Crono's arm and turned to face Nikades.

He had the look of a fearless man. Something that would have Nikades guessing as to what he had up his sleeves.

But deep inside, he was worried that this fight would be his last.

xxxxx

"What surprise?" Lucca asked, looking around for an attack.

Then she saw what Nikades wanted to show her.

Lucca screamed at the sight of her parent's dead bodies lying against the counter. Nikades' surprise indeed. They rested eternally, heads together and slumped to the ground. They were clearly dead, no breathing and no color.

Lucca stood transfixed, staring at her parents. Nikades laughed at her fear. She mumbled, unable to make herself move. Then she fainted.

xxxxx

Cid was hit from behind by the demon. He stumbled with the monster on his back, slamming his face against the wall. He grunted with pain. Its arms were around his neck. He turned and took a few faltered steps before he fell to the ground. The monster started strangling him.

He looked up, his sight dimming, and saw the sword stuck in the door. He slowly reached up for it. The world went black around him, but he felt the steel. He gripped it, cutting his hand on the sharp edge, but he didn't worry over it.

He pulled on the sword with his fading strength, and it came loose.

Then he blacked out.

A moment later, he was able to focus again. Barely conscious. He had dropped the sword and it lay inches from his face. He reached out and grabbed it. He was blacking out again.

Then he swung the sword with all of his remaining strength toward his back. The weapon arched around him and stabbed into a somewhat rough hide. The hold loosened, and then withdrew. Cid took in a deep breath and became dizzy from it.

He clambered to his feet, letting the dead body fall to the ground. He stumbled, still dizzy and grabbed ahold of the wall for support. As an afterthought, he bent over and took the sword from the back of the black monster below him. It looked nothing like Crono now.

"Looks like... I have a sword... now," he said to the dead body, breathing heavily.

"But will it do you any good?"

Cid drew the sword up just in time as the pseudomortem demon suddenly leapt up at him. The sword cleaved cleanly into its head, driving into its brain. The monster flinched and shook for a moment, then it laid still.

Cid shivered in revulsion, but prepared himself for what was to come.

He then turned and faced the door. The door was still locked. He couldn't get in. Then he heard Lucca scream.

Reason left him and he brought his leg back. He extended it fiercely, hitting the door. It cracked under the blow and swung open revealing the room. The doorknob flew off of the swinging door and struck the ground, sliding across the room and striking the wall at the far end. Cid ran in, preparing to save Lucca.

Across the room, he saw Lucca. She had her arms held behind her back by a... Zombie was the only word he could think of to describe the cadaver in front of him. Another undead stood in front of her, moaning in victory.

Cid nearly fainted at the grisly scene in front of him, but he held his ground.

"Don't pass out boy," said Nikades' voice, "the best part is coming up. Haven't you ever wanted to see someone have their heart ripped out and eaten?"

"No!" Cid yelled and started forward.

But then he was held in place by an invisible force. He tried against the force, but couldn't even budge. He looked at the scene in front of him helplessly.

Lucca was unconscious, either fainted or knocked out, he didn't know. Her head was thrown back, leaning against the zombie behind her.

Cid closed his eyes against the vision as the undead in front of Lucca reached for her heart.

A minute passed.

Nothing happened.

Cid opened his eyes and saw nothing there. He was alone in the kitchen.

"If you're not going to watch, then why should I waste my powers on that illusion." Nikades voice said impatiently.

"Where's Lucca?!" Cid yelled.

Then suddenly, the refrigerator door opened. "Come and get her." the voice replied.

Cid was suddenly able to move again. He stumbled forward, falling to his knees, not prepared for the sudden release. He quickly stood and looked inside the refrigerator.

Inside was blackness.

Cid crawled in and the door shut behind him.

xxxxx

"You truly are underestimating me, little man," Nikades spoke mockingly toward Marshall.

"Who knows? Maybe I'm _over_estimating you, and you are nothing but a charlatan doing little tricks for the kiddies. Or maybe _you're_the one underestimating me." Marshall replied, using the tip of his sword to scratch his chin.

"Then let's find out," Nikades replied, just as coolly.

"And there's only one way to do that," Marshall finished.

The sorcerer bowed his head forward and folded his arms across his chest. The black cloak concealed him in the darkness. His laugh could be heard from the blackness that surrounded them.

Crono watched agitatedly, wanting to do something, yet feeling that he should obey Marshall. He beat his sword on the ground in frustration. It wasn't good for the sword but Crono didn't care at the moment. Marle saw this and put her arm around his shoulders comfortingly, "Don't worry, Crono. The Marshal is the best. Cold and efficient in a fight."

Crono ignored her slip, she had again revealed something that made her hate the Marshall. Instead, he merely put his arm around her likewise.

Glenn watched the fight intently. His Masamune was ever ready, though he had great respect for the bounty hunter, things did happen. He gave a small glance toward Magus, who was watching the fight begin as calmly as he always seemed.

Marshall raised his crossbow and fired off its shot into the darkness, right where Nikades had disappeared. However the bolt flew harmlessly into the infinite. Marshall cursed and quickly and efficiently reloaded his crossbow, the job complete in no less than a couple of seconds.

He looked around for another target, the sorcerer was hidden well. This was no magical hiding, which Magus had used during that fight with Marshall. Marshall couldn't find this adversary.

Then a fireball came hurtling toward him from the right. Marshall easily ducked the missile, and shot off another quarrel in one quick motion. However, the bolt burst into bright blue light. Disintegrated.

"Don't tell me you're going to use _that_old trick again," Marshall yelled into the darkness.

"Would you prefer to see a new trick?" came the snide reply.

"Yeah," Marshall replied, as he reloaded the crossbow, "Why don't you play dead?"

xxxxx

Cid crawled out of the tiny cubbyhole he had been wading through and rolled onto the ground. The area around him was pitch black, no eyesight whatsoever. But he could tell one thing, he wasn't in Lucca's house anymore.

He stood up slowly, looking around him, no matter how ineffective the search was. He only saw black.

He could feel the sword at his hip, at least that was still there. He quickly drew it and yelled, "Now what?!"

"Two steps in front of you," came the bodiless voice, "then hop-skip five times to your right-"

"You can't be serious?!" Cid waved his sword in anger at the sorcerer's jokes.

"Sure I can... But I'm having much too much fun playing around with insects like you to bother being serious."

Cid yelled incoherently, his anger overtaking him and he dashed forward blindly. He waved his sword in front of him like a berserker, hoping he would hit the hidden Nikades.

Then suddenly, the area was burst into bright light. Cid was charging and swinging his sword right toward Lucca, whose back was turned to him.

"No!" he yelled and changed his swing at the last second; the sword cut into the wooden floor.

He was in a small room. There were no windows or doors, no entrances or exits. There was light, but Cid couldn't see anything that would produce it. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all wood, as if he was in a large crate.

"Lucca?" he asked tentatively, as he wrenched his sword out of the floor, mere inches from her foot.

The image disappeared and the light was gone. Cid found himself again standing in a black emptiness.

"Sorry, but I couldn't have you running like that. I wasn't finished talking to you." Nikades' voice came to his head.

"Let Lucca go and let us leave, you monster!" Cid yelled to the area above him.

"Not yet. You aren't... insane yet," Nikades laughed, then continued, "there are still many more nightmares for you to experience."

"Then bring them on."

"You would risk your sanity just for some girl?" Nikades scoffed.

"My sanity and more. Just to save Lucca." Cid made a fist with his free hand and held it up in contempt for the invisible taunter, "And to make sure you can no longer do this."

xxxxx

Pret stood looking at the distant moon. It had so recently turned to a blood red. That was the signal he had been waiting for.

Thatos/Pret turned from the balcony he was standing on and reentered his room. There another shadow awaited, it was nearly invisible in the black, only the red light made it visible.

"Go forth. You know what you must do," Thatos said to the emptiness before him.

The shadow merely nodded and then fled the room and raced toward Lucca's house.

Thatos smiled. The plan was nearly complete. No less than two or three weeks to complete this.

He continued to smile as he returned to his basking in the darkness.

xxxxx

Nikades appeared in front of Marshall. The two faced each other with deep hatred, yet a small respect. Each respected the other's ability to fight.

Nikades laughed evilly, "Then I shall play dead."

He spread his arms and his hands were held out, open and level with his head with the palms up. Nikades began chanting.

Black fire sprouted from his hands, yet the flesh did not burn. The chanting continued and the fire intensified.

Marshall drew back his sword, "Play time's over," he said.

He was only standing three feet from the sorcerer. It would be so easy. He thrust his sword forward.

xxxxx

Cid was suddenly pinned by an unknown force. His body went numb and he fell to the ground. The sword clattered to the ground, right in front of his face. He could see it, yet not touch it.

"Such threats... Yet here you lay, unable to do anything at all," Nikades sighed sarcastically.

Nikades laughed for a moment, then continued, "You know that girl, Lucca, is the reason you are like this. She created the machine that brought me back."

"So?" Cid managed, amazed that he could speak without moving.

"You will all die. Some will die tortuous deaths, like you. It is all her fault."

Cid suddenly found himself standing in the room again. Lucca was there with her back to him again. The cold steel of the sword could be felt in his hands.

Nikades continued, "You probably feel contempt for her right now... She has done this to you."

"I did this to myself," Cid replied, yet his head was swimming.

"She brings you along, even though she know the danger she thrusts you into." Nikades continued.

"I choose to continue," Cid said, clutching his aching head.

"But why wouldn't she warn you?"

"She didn't... di... didn't know," Cid tried to fight the wooziness; something was trying to mess with his thoughts.

"Did she?"

"Did she what?" Cid was confused.

"Did she warn you?"

"About what? Warn me about what? And who is 'she'?" Cid could think clearly now. There was no more headache.

"Did you forget already? Lucca didn't warn you about the danger, remember?" Nikades was speaking as if to a child.

"Oh... Yeah, I remember. That traitor. Where is she?" Cid was angry that someone would betray his trust; use him.

"Right in front of you. Do you wish to kill the traitor?" Nikades asked pleasantly.

"No." Cid replied.

"Why not?"

"She's my friend."

"She tried to have you injured, Cid. That's not friendship."

"Oh yeah..." Cid remembered now.

"Then kill the traitor," Nikades said.

Cid looked at the sword in his hand. 'How convenient', he thought. Then he noticed something. The sword was pulsing a bright red. Almost as if it was alive.

As he focused on the blade, Cid found it hard to concentrate again. The headache returned.

Then Lucca turned around and saw him, "Oh there you are Cid! We have to get out of here!" she said, panicky.

"Kill the traitor," Nikades pressed.

Cid raised his sword, preparing to stab Lucca.

"Cid?" she asked, fearfully.

Cid tried to focus, the headache grew worse.

The sword glowed brighter as Nikades spoke, "Kill her."

"Cid?" Lucca asked backing up.

The sword...

He stepped toward her, matching her retreating paces.

"Kill her. She betrayed you." Nikades said, victoriously.

The headache pounded in his head like a drum.

What was the sword doing to him...

"What is it Cid?" Lucca was now definitely scared. Of him.

He felt a rush at the power he had at him and his sword armed tensed for the stab.

"No, Cid! Don't-"

"Kill her." Nikades continued, calmly.

It was the sword...

Cid put all of his strength into his sword arm and swung it. As he swung it, he released it and it spun through the air in a graceful arc. It broke through the wood in the far wall and continued. The wall broke away, shattering like glass. The pieces fell away into oblivion to reveal the kitchen.

"Cid?" asked Lucca again.

Cid fell to the ground, his power spent. The sword that he had taken from the demon-Crono. He should never... But it was over now.

He raised his head from the floor to find himself alone. Lucca was gone, and he was now lying in the kitchen.

"Amazing," Nikades mused, "You are much stronger than I thought. Than I hoped."

"Shut up and release Lucca!" Cid yelled jumping to his feet.

"But you aren't insane yet."

"I was insane to listen to your stupid sword," Cid replied, "I will be insane unless I kill you!"

xxxxx

Marshall thrust his sword forward. It sped toward Nikades' heart. The flames around Nikades hands raced to his arms.

xxxxx

Nikades appeared in front of Cid, "Then kill me right now."

"I will. With my bare hands if possible," Cid replied coldly, slowly stalking toward the sorcerer.

xxxxx

The flames engulfed Nikades' torso and legs. The head remained, the eyes closed and the mouth slightly moving in the incantation. His pasty white head shook from the sheer concentration.

Marshall pushed his sword forward and it reached Nikades.

The black flames completely engulfed Nikades. It seemed as if a shadow had surrounded him. Nikades was fading from view, leaving the shadow.

The sword slid into the sorcerer, piercing its heart.

Then everything was engulfed in bright white light.

xxxxx

"Too late," Nikades said to Cid, "my plans will prevail."

Cid grabbed for the sorcerer's neck just as a blinding white light engulfed the kitchen. Cid grasped onto nothing, falling onto the floor and losing consciousness.

xxxxx

Outside, the fiery red disappeared from the moon.

Thatos smiled to himself. It had begun.

The moon was slowly fading from view as the sun peered over the eastern mountains. It was dawn.

The invasion had begun.

Below him, the small army marched out of the gates and across the bridge. They would head west to crush the rebels.

Thatos retreated back to his room, his black eyes glowing malevolently.

xxxxx

Cid awoke to find himself looking up at Lucca.

They were both in the kitchen, it had returned to normal. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor with his head in her lap. She seemed to be crying.

"Lucca?" he asked groggily.

She looked down at him in startlement, then said, "Oh thank goodness! I thought you were dead!"

She had clearly been crying. He reached up and grasped her hand. It was real, this was no illusion. Nikades was gone.

"I didn't think I was going to make it either," Cid replied, patting the arm he held.

"I saw everything he did to you. He made me watch it all!" Lucca said, sobbing.

Then suddenly, the kitchen door swung open. The two looked fearfully toward the opening door.

Glenn, Magus, Marshall, Crono, and Marle walked in and the two sighed with relief.

The group was reunited.

Plans would have to be made.


	29. Chapter 29

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 29

* * *

"So... Is it over?" Marle asked uncertainly.

The group had now stationed themselves in the house's main room. It had returned to normal after Nikades' defeat, all of the electronics and mechanical equipment had returned. As well as the furniture.

However, with Nikades gone, the horror show had also ceased. That was a relief to Cid.

"Damn straight it is," Marshall replied, "I shoved that sword so far in him-"

"No it isn't," Lucca said suddenly, cutting off Marshall's sentence.

"What?" Crono asked, startled, "What's left?"

"While Nikades held me captive back there, he showed me what his 'master plan' had done to my world."

"And?" Crono pressed.

Lucca sighed, then spoke, "Nikades used the demons to act as Mystics. They attacked Truce and destroyed a lot of it before the army was able to reach and defeat them.

"The king ordered an attack on the Mystics and the Mystics' capitol was destroyed. They hid in the forest and a showdown between them and the king's army occurred. Both sides took major losses. Finally the humans retreated."

Lucca stopped and faced Marle, a look of sadness now on her face, "Your father was killed in that fight Nadia."

Nadia stared in Lucca in disbelief, her face contorting and twisting, yet she didn't allow herself to lose herself, not yet. Marle balled her hands into fists and closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Marle," Lucca said, she didn't dare say the Nikades had laughed when he had spoken of the king's death.

Crono hugged the struggling Marle and looked at Lucca to continue. The others remained silent, not knowing what to say.

"The nobles of Truce and Choral were also killed. Due to your disappearance... Pret was given the throne.

Marle suddenly jumped out of her sadness, "I'm going to kill that-"

"Calm down, Marle..." Crono said soothingly.

Marle was seething, losing control of herself. Crono took ahold of her arm and gently pulled her back to her seat. She complied, but didn't lose her look of anger.

Lucca coughed, then finished what she had to say, "There is a small resistance that formed in Truce. They are against Pret and for the reviving of the Guardia line on the throne. They want _you_, Marle, to take the throne back."

"But they don't even know if I'm alive." Marle protested.

"They hope," Glenn said, cutting in, "And it looks like we can bring that hope to them."

"What?" Crono asked, a question that everyone else was themselves about to ask.

Marshall turned to Marle, "It looks like I won't be able to complete this mission due to unforseen complications. So instead, let's say that we go find that resistance and help them get your kingdom back."

Marle nodded, "And I'm going to kill Pret with my bare hands."

"So, where is the resistance?" Crono casually asked Lucca.

Lucca shrugged, "I don't know, he wouldn't tell me."

"Great," Crono said.

"But I'm sure we can find someone in town who can tell us." Lucca pressed.

"Yeah, that would be smart. Let's go up to a common townsman and ask him where the people who plan to overthrow his king are hiding." Crono said, in a sarcastic voice.

"It wouldn't be that hard," Lucca continued, "we live here Crono. There are people we can trust not to give us to the guards."

"But what makes you think they even know?" Crono asked, standing up from his seat.

"We aren't just asking one person. There's bound to be someone in there that knows, and we'll find him." Lucca finished.

Then suddenly, Magus entered the house. No one had noticed him even leave and they all jumped when the door flew open to reveal him.

"What the-?" Marshall started, "Where've you been?"

Magus didn't answer. Instead he calmly closed the door behind him and dusted off his cape.

"I didn't even notice you were gone," Crono said in awe, "How'd you do that?"

Magus ignored him, "There's no point in searching for people who know about the resistance."

"Why's that?" Lucca asked.

"Everyone in town knows about it now." Magus said calmly.

"'Now?' What's going on, Magus?!" Crono said, impatient to relieve Magus of the news.

"The king's royal army marched west about two hours ago to fight the resistance. They are holed up at the old cathedral ruins."

"Two hours!? Then we'd better hurry if we want to help!" Crono said, running to the door.

Cid grabbed Crono's arm and held him from the door, "Wait, Crono, don't just go rushing into this." he turned to Magus, "Do you know how many soldiers are attacking the resistance?"

"No one told me, they didn't know. But I took a look for myself. There are close to five hundred."

"That's a lot, considering that they took a lot of casualties during the fight with the mystics." Marle mused, trying not to think of certain 'casualties'.

"The resistance?" Crono pressed.

"They are speculated to hold around two hundred." Magus finished.

"Outnumbered almost three to one. I don't like the odds... But this is for my father, isn't it?" Marle said.

"For your father and his line," Crono said.

"Looks like we won't get any rest. I didn't even get to finish my rest at Dorino," Cid said, releasing Crono, "I guess we had better hurry and stop the army."

"I'm staying here," Lucca said suddenly.

"You're what?!" Marle and Crono asked together, astounded.

"I have to stay here and try to find out what I did to The Gatekeeper... And make sure that no one tampers with it."

Crono gave up grudgingly, "Fine, you can do that," then he opened the door that led outside, "But if the rest of us doesn't hurry, we're gonna miss a fight."

He went outside, followed by Marle, Glenn, Magus, and Marshall.

Cid turned to Lucca, "Do you need help?"

She smiled to him, shaking her head, "No, you had better go with the rest of them. I can manage."

He looked hesitant for a moment, then decided to listen to her, "Bye Lucca."

"Bye, Cid. See you when you get back."

Then Cid turned and left, shutting the door behind him.

Lucca was alone again, the images began to flash through her head yet again. She didn't bother to close her eyes or shut her ears, that never worked.

She raised her head and looked up at the ceiling. Then she closed her eyes, not to shut out the visions, but to amplify them.

They washed over her and she was lost in their depths yet again.

xxxxx

"Hurry up, Cid!" Crono yelled over his shoulder as he made his way across the bridge.

Cid broke from his view of the bridge and ran to catch up with the others. It was a large bridge, much larger than any bridges in his time.

He caught up with the others, breathing heavily, "Sorry. I just got caught up with the view."

"No problem, but we have to hurry. That army will be there long before us and we can't waste any time. Not one second," Crono quickened his pace, proving his point.

"Lucca should have come," Marle said, as she continued alongside Crono.

"She had other things to do," Glenn replied, "True, it won't be the same without her though."

"I know, but I feel like she would be necessary."

"She has been helpful," Marshall pointed out.

"She makes her own decision," Crono said, "she decided to stay and we can't do anything about that. Her choice."

"-Is our problem," Marle said, finishing Crono's statement.

"Even so," Crono shrugged.

They reached the end of the bridge and began the long trek west. No one spoke the rest of the way.

xxxxx

The commander of the Queen's Men turned quickly as a soldier yelled out his name.

"Yes?" he yelled over the noise.

The battle was now dying down. The Queen's Men were well fortified, knew the terrain, and were prepared. However, the king's army were well armed, highly trained, and tripled their numbers.

However, the Queen's Men were slowly losing against an impossible tide.

They had held out the first assault, though. The royal army was slowly drawing back, to plan the next assault.

"Sir! There are a group of people we found who say they need to speak to you! One claims to be Princess Nadia!"

"Nadia? Bring them to my tent, quickly!" the commander turned and ran into the said tent, energy brought to him by the knowledge that his cause was no longer futile.

"Right here, sir."

"Did you check them for weapons?" he asked.

"Well, yes sir. They were all armed. And the large one... Uh... He was armed to the teeth, sir."

The commander turned around to face the tent entrance, and to face the newcomers. And to face Princess Nadia.

Crono and Marle gasped when they saw the face of the commander of the rebellion.

"Melchior!?" Marle asked in disbelief.

Melchior looked briefly at the group, then turned to the soldier, "It's okay. You may go now."

The soldier bowed stiffly and left. When they were alone, Melchior spoke.

"So you have returned, Princess... Queen."

Nadia didn't answer, "So my father is really dead?"

Melchior nodded, "Yes, he was killed by an arrow from the Mystics. Due to the sudden deaths of Maray and Godfrey and your disappearance, Pret took command and the throne."

"I know," Marle said, nodding slowly.

"Have a seat, all of you," Melchior said, indicating the chairs sitting around the 'room'.

The group did so, glad to finally rest after the long walk. Only Magus remained standing, facing the former guru, former weapons seller, now renegade, "Why are you, Melchior, leading a group of men in a coup of Guardia?"

"Because Guardia no longer exists. A few weeks ago, I was sitting in my home," Melchior broke into his storyteller tone, "I suddenly felt a presence. A demon suddenly stole into my house and attacked me. I killed it, but was surprised as to what it meant.

"There are only two people that ever, EVER used magic to breach dimensions and summon monsters. Dalton is dead, the other had been banished-"

"Nikades." Crono said matter-of-factly.

Melchior scowled at the boy for a moment, not wanting to be interrupted. Then the implications of what Crono had said sunk in. He nodded, "Yes, Nikades. So you have met him."

"We didn't just meet him, we-" Marshall began.

"Shhh," Marle hushed him, "Could you continue, Melchior?"

Melchior nodded, "I hurried to Guardia, during my trip I heard of a war between humans and Mystics brewing. I knew something was wrong. I reached it too late, the war had begun. When the army returned, they were defeated and without leaders. Only Pret survived.

"Pret took the kingship due to the disappearance of Nadia.

"During his coronation, I saw Nikades."

They are colaborating?" Marshall asked, surprised.

"It seems that they made a pact. Pret gets the throne, of course, but I don't know what Nikades would want from Pret.

"It was about then that the demons started melding into the populace. Not the nightmares that we had previously seen, but humanlike demons. And much too many. It usually took a lot out of a man to summon _one_demon. But these are hundreds.

"I was once a guru, I knew demons better than others. No one could tell these imposters from other humans. I warned others of this, but few believed me. However, there were those that believed that Pret had killed Nadia to take the throne. They joined me. Later more joined. Now we are an army."

"So Nikades had indeed made use of The Gatekeeper." Crono said slowly, knowing well what that meant.

"Gatekeeper?" Melchior asked.

"Lucca managed to build a device that bridged time. Unfortunately, it also bridged universes. It freed Nikades and allowed him to escape the world he was trapped in." Crono replied, wondering what kind of reaction he would get from the guru.

Melchior looked startled for a moment, then said, "That can't be helped now. I'm sure she didn't have any intentions of this happening when she built it and that would explain how he is able to summon demons in large amounts. Where is Lucca right now? She isn't dead is she?"

"She stayed behind so she could neutralize The Gatekeeper." Marle said.

"What about Nikades? He wouldn't just let her do that would he?"

"He's dead," Marshall said again.

"Dead?" Melchior was shocked by the statement.

"Stabbed him dead myself," Marshall said.

Melchior shook his head, "So all we have to do now is exterminate the demons and remove Pret, then."

Magus suddenly spoke, "Melchior, what exactly was Nikades' plan back in the time of Zeal?"

Melchior faced the wizard, studying his face, "I do not completely know."

"Tell us anyway," Glenn said politely.

"Very well. Nikades had been tampering with dimensions, an experiment that Zeal had tried to have stopped. Nikades was the head guru of the time and was extremely powerful. I think he let the power go to his head, because he ignored her and continued.

"We, the other gurus were sent to stop him..."

xxxxx

"Nikades! You are defying the queen's wishes! Stop!" Gasper yelled to the guru, who was oblivious to his pupils behind him.

Then he spoke, "Don't stop me. What I am doing here will change the world."

There were fifteen gurus facing Nikades. They stood in the dark room that the Mammon Machine would fill several years later. Before Nikades, who held his back to the group, was a bright light; an opening gate.

Another guru, Karris, stood forward, "We have orders to kill you if you do not cease this foolishness at once!"

The room was suddenly silent. Nikades gave no response, but continued to face the widening gate. The other gurus prepared themselves against a possible battle.

Then Nikades began to laugh. It was an evil and insane laugh; a dark laugh, and it filled the room, synchronizing with the guru's heaving shoulders. Then he faced the lesser gurus.

He had brown eyes, matching his dark brown hair. His skin still held its pallor, unlike the pale skin he would have years later. He looked at the other gurus, challenging each and every one.

"Then stop me."

Melchior watched as Karris raised his hand, preparing to use magic. But before he could do anything else, he fell to the ground dead.

He had dropped dead.

Nikades laughed again, "You have striven to remain in this world. A world of limits and science. Now face the infite world of the unnatural and all powerful."

The door slid open and the force of gurus poured into the room as Nikades continued laughing.

Nikades raised his hand and fire sped forth from his fingers. Seven gurus went down, burnt to ashes.

Gurus managed to use their magics, but the fires and lightning and other spells were having no effect. A barrier glowed dimly around the gloating guru as electricity laced it continually. Nikades turned his back to them even as more fire erupted from him to kill more gurus.

The gate was nearly complete.

It glowed bright red, it wasn't a gate of time.

Melchior pulled out a small red dagger from his sleeve. It was his sole possession, an item of pure magic.

Sometimes he could almost hear voices from the blade, but he could never understand them. He hoped that whatever the voices came from could understand the urgency he was in.

A bright flash erupted and suddenly twenty gurus simply disappeared, disintegrated.

Melchior panicked when he realized that only four remained.

He aimed and threw the dagger at Nikades back.

The blade spun in the air, the light from the gate dancing around it. Then it struck the barrier, breaking through it effortlessly and embedding itself into Nikades' back. The sorcerer staggered, surprised and turned around.

"What have you-?" he raised his hand to destroy Melchior.

But no spell burst forth. The dagger had barred his energies. Its magic inhabitants had indeed heard his request. Nikades no longer had magic at his dispersal. He was as powerful as an earthbounder. Then Ucledes broke into a run and rammed into Nikades. Behind the sorcerer, the gate hummed with power. It had completed itself.

The two gurus were thrown into the gate, Nikades screaming for revenge as he was dragged into his place of exile. The dagger clattered loudly on the stone floor, landing in front of the gate.

With the gate's completion, the palace began to shake. It was consuming all energy from the land to hold itself open. All the power of Zeal suddenly left. It flowed out of the land, out of the people and animals, and into the gate.

Nikades scream continued for a second, then finally died.

The gate shut.

But Zeal and the whole earth stood empty of magic.

Lavos began its dark plot.


	30. Chapter 30

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 30

* * *

The group stood silent as Melchior finished his story. Another piece of the puzzle had been revealed, however, it did not yet fit. There was much more to this story.

Finally, Magus spoke, "So he _is_responsible for Lavos's arrival..."

Melchior shook his head, "I strongly doubt that. Lavos would have risen anyway. Not then, but later; Nikades simply hastened that arrival."

Crono asked, "A red gate? What would Nikades want with a gate that spanned universes?"

"An army of demons?" Marshall answered.

"Maybe it wasn't complete," Marle said.

"An army of demons sounds like our best bet. That's what he's doing right now." Crono said.

"What he _was_doing," Marshall put in, "You seem to forget that he's sort of dead right now."

"But to what end would an army of demons meet. If he was already _that _powerful, then what would several more demons cause but a hindrance compared to him?" Glenn asked.

Crono thought for a moment, then said, "You're right Glenn. Maybe Marle's guess is closer with 'it wasn't complete'."

"Then why would he need an army of demons now?" Cid asked.

"Because," Melchior said, "he wasn't as strong as he once was. His powers are held in check by that red dagger that struck him."

"The Masamune," Glenn said, fingering the hilt of the said blade, now a sword.

Melchior continued, standing up and pacing, "So he was doing what Magus did years ago. He was merely using these monsters as a diversion while he collects whatever he needs to rejuvenate his lost powers."

"Like what?" Marle asked.

"Objects, or artifacts of magic can be sapped of their energy. He is probably searching for these things," Magus said.

"Like the sunstone or dreamstone... Or the rainbow shell!" Crono said excitedly, "He could get the rainbow shell from Pret, the sunstone from Lucca's house... But he would need the gatekeeper to get the dreamstone from Ayla."

"The Masamune is also one of these things," Glenn said, "I'm surprised he didn't come after me."

"Even a Chrono Trigger would have been a target for him, if it still existed," Marle said.

"Apparently we stopped him in time. Did anyone else notice that all he used to fight with were illusions of some sort?" Cid said from his seat.

"Those demons looked pretty real," Crono said.

"They exploded pretty real too," Marshall added, giving a glance at Magus, who remained passive.

"Besides that. If he could fry twenty people with a thought, couldn't he have just as easily killed half a dozen?" Cid asked curiously.

"Yeah, that's right. I guess we were too quick for him." Crono said, "He spent the whole time throwing shadows at us."

"So all that's left is to overthrow Pret, huh?" Marshall said, rubbing his hands together, "It's been a long time since I've been a rebel."

Marle gave him a glare, but righted herself before anyone noticed. Marshall stood up and stretched, "So how do we overthrow a king with soldiers and demons on his side?"

"Fire with fire?" Cid asked.

Melchior shook his head, "I've a better idea."

xxxxx

Lucca looked at the gatekeeper. It was silent now. A chunk of metal in the grass. She reached out and gave her child life.

The machine whirred to a start, the electricity coursed through it like blood. Then a red gate appeared in its frame, the wind blowing from it waved Lucca's hair around her face.

She pulled out an object from her coat. The sunstone glowed with a reddish light that cascaded from the gate. Lucca gazed at it for a moment, then tossed it into the gate. The gate closed and Lucca was once again alone, the only light on her was from the noontime sun.

xxxxx

The royal army attacked again at dusk. They were now four hundred strong, having lost a fifth of their numbers. They had split their numbers into four groups, each a hundred men strong. Each group would attack from a different direction. The Queen's Men were surrounded.

The Queen's Men had lost near sixty of their forces, but they were not out of the fight. They fortified themselves, and waited for the charge. They had dug traps all around the encampment. Those traps had killed almost twenty of the hundred dead on the opposing side. And there were still more traps out there.

Then the horns sounded and the royal army charged the resistance yet again.

xxxxx

"Sneak in?!" Crono yelled ecstatically.

"It could work Crono," Marle said, "I know of at least two secret... Uhh... Exits from the castle. But just because they're exits doesn't mean we can't enter through them either."

"But how are we going to get out of here. This army is about to exterminate us." Crono said, not backing down.

Melchior coughed, "That's where Magus will come in. He will use his magic to conceal us... if he wishes to help us."

Magus bowed his head in thought, "I have no reason not to help."

"Then it's settled," Melchior said.

"Why don't we just show them Ma-Nadia. Then we could denounce the king without fighting them at all." Crono said.

"Do you really think they would believe us? It wouldn't be hard to find someone to look like me, you know." Marle pointed out.

"What about all of your men? Would you just leave them here to die?" Cid asked.

Melchior shook his head, "No, no, no, no! If we stay here, they will die. But if we can remove Pret, his men will have to return to the castle. Then Nadia can retake control of them."

"Sounds feasible," Marshall said helpfully.

Then they heard the horns signifying the next assault.

xxxxx

"It seems that they are attacking again," Melchior mused to himself.

Crono suddenly jumped up and headed for the tent's exit. He drew his sword, which flew out of his sheath with a flash of reflected sunlight, "I think we need to do something about that."

"You're insane, Crono," Marle said reaching out to grab his arm.

"Yeah, but we'd already decided that back on Mt. Denadoro, hadn't we?" he replied, "So who's coming?"

"Sounds like fun," Marshall said, standing up and drawing one of his swords.

"No Crono, don't!" Marle repeated.

"Why not?" Crono stopped for a second, his foot literally halfway out the door.

"They're innocent people," she pleaded.

"But they're killing us," Crono pointed out.

"They aren't evil Crono, they're just following orders from their king. Orders to stamp out a resistance to the throne they honor and protect."

Glenn leaned forward in his seat, "She has a point Crono. We don't have a quarrel with these people. Just their leader."

"..." Crono was thinking, "Fine. You're right."

He resheathed his sword and returned to his seat. Marshall sheepishly did likewise, grumbling about something.

"How long do you think you'll hold in here?" Cid asked Melchior.

"At this rate, we should hold slightly over a week. But it would be best if we stop it long before then."

"That would be the smart thing to do," Marshall nodded, "So, when do we start?"

"Your appearance, Princess Nadia-oh yes, pardon me, Queen Nadia, has changed our plans heavily. We had at first planned to just usurp the king's throne and prove to the people that he was collaborating with demons.

"The only problem would be Nikades. I have no idea how to defeat him. The only thought I had was that the people would go on a witch hunt, and if he wasn't killed, at least he would have to live in hiding until I could find a weakness.

"But now that you've killed him, he isn't a threat. We just have to take the throne. But with Nadia, we can replace him without angering the populace one bit."

"Would they believe you about the demons?" Cid asked.

"They would probably burn me at the stake or something if I told them that they were living with creatures from other universes." Melchior replied.

"Melchior, we aren't barbaric!" Marle said, outraged.

Melchior chuckled, "Sorry, just a small joke."

"And that's all nice and stuff, but would you answer my question, 'When do we start?'" Marshall cut in.

"As soon as this fight ends." he said matter-of-factly.

"You mean just like that?" Cid asked, "No planning. No preparing. Just leave whenever we get the opening?"

"I don't know how much longer my people'll hold. Some might desert. That army could come crashing down on us tomorrow. We need to start as soon as possible."

"I thought you said they would hold for a week." Cid asked suspiciously.

"If they don't desert, that is the predicted time." Melchior finished, "Now, if you think you don't have much time to prepare, you shouldn't waste the little time you have right now."

xxxxx

"Who's that?" Crono asked, as Melchior presented the addition to their strike force.

"This is Lietman. He'll be coming with us." Melchior replied, pointed at the black-haired, blue-eyed man standing beside him.

Lietman was about Crono height, with a little more width. A scimitar was sheathed at his belt. He neither smiled nor nodded his head at his introduction. A stoic figure.

"And why?" Cid pressed.

"He was the leader of my earlier chosen group. I thought that he would help. Just because you all are here, doesn't mean I'm going to completely replace my earlier choices." Melchior finished.

Crono nodded, "Sounds fair. Let's go before the troop decide to knock harder."

Melchior turned to Magus, "Are you ready."

Magus looked at Melchior, "Yes."

Magus raised his arms and a black aura spread from them. The black swirled around the group, concealing them, camouflaging them from outside eyes. Magus dropped his arms, the spell complete.

"Now don't drop it when we're in the middle of the enemy camp, okay?" Marshall asked.

Magus glared at the tall man, "Do I look a fool to you?"

"Now you most definitely don't _act_like a fool, but I think-" Marshall began.

"Stow it, Marshall," Marle said, "Let's just get this over with."

They advanced forward out of the rebels' camp. The scouts didn't notice them, which was a plus. They might just make it.

"Now everyone be quiet," Melchior whispered to the others, "They can't see us, but they can surely hear us."

A few moments later they had entered the enemy camp that surrounded the rebels own. They picked their way carefully through the outer ring, passing not ten feet from a lookout.

Cid almost broke out laughing as the scout was obviously doing his job, yet it wasn't doing one bit of good. He covered his mouth and continued.

They entered the main camp passing tents and walking by the enemy, yet they were unseen.

Then one of the soldiers looked right at them and yelled out, "Hey, you there!" The soldier drew his sword and ran toward them.

Marshall reached for his sword, anticipating a brawl of the like he would never have witnessed in his bar.

The man ran right past them. He reached another man, "Hey, blacksmith! Could you fix my sword? It's a little dented." He handed the blacksmith the sword.

The group collectively let out their breaths and continued.

Soon they were out of the main camp and into the outer ring of lookouts. They had luck there too, they were unseen. They slowly walked out of the camp, walking several more miles out before they finally stopped.

"That was close," Marshall said, remembering the soldier with the dented blade.

"Yeah, but we made it," Cid said.

"Okay, Magus you can drop the spell." Melchior said.

"Are you okay, Magus?" Marle asked.

Magus was sweating profusely, and his face was strained and red. The black returned from his spell, then dissipated into the wind. Then Magus collapsed.

"Not again," Crono moaned bending over to examine the sorcerer.

"Again?" Melchior asked.

"He drained himself creating a time gate to this time not too long ago. I should have known he wasn't completely healed, but he continued to use his strength." Marle was angry at herself.

Melchior bent over the body, checking on its condition. Finally he stood up, "He's alright. He really used himself up on that," he looked up at the sun, "It's almost night. We'll go a little further, then head into the forest to make camp. He should be strong enough to walk again by morning... But make sure that he doesn't use one bit of magic for at least three days."

Marshall bent down and carefully hefted the body over his shoulder, "At least he's light."

They trekked on as the day wore down.

xxxxx

The rebels had lost as much as half of their forces now. The royal army had taken many more losses, but they had men to spare. Well over three hundred still stood. And the injured were being healed by the kingdom's best to begin the fight again as soon as possible. The rebels had no healers or doctors their wounded could only be healed by consoling words from their compatriots.

The outcome was inevitable. But the Queen's Men fought on anyhow.


	31. Chapter 31

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 31

* * *

"So where is the secret entrance, by the way?" Crono asked Marle as they stood staring at the castle.

They were in the outskirts of the forest, unseen by the guards standing on the parapets. To their right, the drawbridge, having once been destroyed, was something that was obviously quickly erected. The walls of the castle still had the scars from the fire that had been caused by the explosion.

"It's in the back of the castle," Marle replied.

"Will there be any problem getting in?" Melchior asked.

"None. I doubt Pret knows about this... And I know that none of the guards know of it." Marle answered.

"Sounds too easy," Magus said.

Magus had awakened several hours later than expected. He still looked drained, but didn't bother speaking about it. As Melchior had said, it would take a week or so to heal. Unfortunately, they didn't have that long.

Cid laughed, "That's all I've been hearing ever since I started this trip. Doesn't anyone _want_it to be easy?"

"It could be a trap," Marshall pressed.

"Why would Pret have a trap for us?" Lietman asked, the first time he had spoken all day, "He knows nothing about our arrival. He thinks that we are dying back at the battle."

Crono nodded, "Yeah, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Expect a trap."

"Then let's get it over with," Marshall said.

Melchior turned to Marle, "You lead and show us where it is."

Marle nodded and turned to trudge through the forest toward the secret entrance that only she and her father knew of.

The guards made their daily rounds, not knowing of the infiltration they were paid to prevent.

xxxxx

"Where is it?" Melchior asked.

Marle pointed into the watery moat, "Down in there."

Crono sighed, "Of course."

"Well it wouldn't be a secret if it was out in the open, Crono." Marle replied, slightly miffed.

"Does everyone here know how to swim?" Marshall asked the group.

Everyone nodded.

"Are there any moat monsters in there?" Cid asked.

Marle stared at him.

"Just kidding," he replied, "How deep is the moat."

"About ten or twenty feet, I think," Marle said.

"Is everyone ready? If so, we'd better jump in before the next guard comes around up there," Melchior said pointing up at the parapets, which were at the moment empty.

Marle nodded and turned to the water. She then bent and made a perfect dive into the moat, cutting into the water like a knife. A small quiet splash, then nothing but ripples in the water. A few moment later her head emerged.

"Hurry up. It's cold, but not freezing." she said and dived under again.

Marshall looked at the water, "Hope she isn't lying about the temperature," then he jumped in, making slightly more noise than Marle, but surprisingly quiet in his size. Marshall emerged a second later, the water up to his chin, "This isn't ten or twenty feet... And it's cold!"

"Shh! Quiet," Melchior said, "And get under."

"I'm standing old man. This water's more like seven feet, not ten or twenty," Marshall said, then he went under.

The others followed suit, each jumping in.

Crono opened his eyes and looked for Marle in the dense water. She was up ahead at the castle wall waving her hand at them to follow. Then she ducked her head and crawled into a small hole in the wall. Cid went behind her with Lietman following third.

Marshall tried to go next, but he stopped at the hole, looking at it warily. Then he turned to Crono and shook his head holding his hands out wide, palms pointed toward each other, then moving them closer together, closing the gap between them. He was too big.

Marshall pointed up and then waved bye to Crono. He stood up and left the water before Crono could stop him. Then he was gone. Crono cursed and went to the hole. Melchior and Glenn had gone through and he was the only one left. Plus, he was running out of air. He crawled into the hole and swam through. On the other side, Marle was waiting for him. She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward her. Then they swam through the underwater passage.

It was around thirty feet long, and Crono was getting desperate for air. Then suddenly, he was above the water, gasping and sucking air. Beside him, Marle too breathed heavily. He looked around to see that they were in a small square room. In the center of the room was a circle-pool of water that they were wading in. The wall in front of Crono was occupied by a door. Three dormant torches resided on the remaining walls.

That was all Crono could make out in the near pitch-black darkness. Then Melchior said something and a small sphere of white light emerged from his hands, illuminating the room.

"Where's Marshall?" Marle asked looking around.

Crono shook his head, "He couldn't make it; the hole was too small."

"Well, that's just great," Cid said from his temporary seat at the side of the water.

Melchior sighed, "Well, it can't be helped. We'll have to continue without him."

Magus stood over in the far corner from the door. He was bent over breathing deeply, obviously still not over the lack of energy. Marle went over to him, "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes, don't concern yourself with me," he replied standing, though obviously wincing from the pain.

Marle seemed about to say something, then she dropped the subject and turned to the door, "This leads to the prison area. It isn't in use anymore ever since the bridge collapsed years ago, she said, giving a meaningful look at Crono.

"What? It wasn't me, it was the dragon tank," he said, defensively.

"Right," she said smiling, then continued, "From there we have a straight run to the throne room. Those are the royal guard in there. I can prove to them that I am indeed Nadia easily. I knew some of them most of my life. And we also take Pret, removing any demonic threat. Bingo, the Guardia line is renewed."

"One question," Cid piped in, "What if the royal guard has been replaced?"

Marle opened her mouth to answer, then snapped it shut. She shrugged.

"Great," Cid said.

"We'll have to take that risk," Melchior said, "Let's go."

"But, what-" Cid began.

"Just forget the questions for now Cid. They don't know we're here." Marle said impatiently.

Marle opened the door, revealing the dark jail beyond. The light from the sphere gave slight illumination several feet beyond the doorway. An armed guard of twenty soldiers stood in that light.

"Look! It was a trap!" Cid said sarcastically.

"I see that, Cid," Marle said quietly.

"Should we fight?" Crono asked, eagerly.

"Too many," Melchior said.

"It _was_a trap," Marle said sadly.

"That it was," Lietman said, stepping forward toward the guard, "Good job men."

He shook the leader's hand. Then turned to the stunned group behind him, "You are now property of King Pret I," he turned back to the guard, "Throw them into a cell."

The guard saluted, "Yes, sir."

The leader stepped forward and began taking the weapons from the group.

"Oh yeah, there's another one outside somewhere. He's a very big man, you shouldn't miss him," Lietman said to the leader offhandedly.

The guards grabbed the group and pushed them rudely and roughly forward. Crono turned to the guard who was behind him, "One second please."

The guard stopped for a second, curious. Crono quickly turned to Lietman and decked him. Lietman was thrown from where he stood, landing on his back roughly.

The guard reached for his sword, but Crono turned from Lietman and began walking again, catching up with his friends and leaving the guard behind. The guard forgot his sword and ran forward grabbing ahold of Crono.

"You may continue," Crono said to the guard.

Behind them, the leader helped Lietman to his feet. The traitor scowled at Crono, but said nothing. Something flickered in the back of his eyes for a moment, then was gone.

xxxxx

The group stood in their cell, awaiting whatever Pret wanted to do with them. There was only one cot, which Marle sat upon, looking crestfallen. Magus stood in the corner, leaning against the wall and staring at nothing, deep in thought. Melchior and Crono were both at the cell entrance, the latter person looking outside, Melchior looking in.

Cid however, was another story.

"'Don't worry, it's not a trap'!" he yelled again for the hundredth time.

"How could I have known?" Marle said looking up from her seat.

Cid threw his arms into the air, "I tried to give a hint or two, but I was sort of cut off. That room was obviously in use. There weren't any spiderwebs or anything in it. No cobwebs, no dust. It was sparkly clean."

"Just because it was sparkly clean doesn't mean that there was a trap. Where would the spiders have come from. And the dust would have nothing to originate from either," Crono said.

"It still meant that there MIGHT be a trap!" Cid said again.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think. Now shut up," Marle shot back.

"What were they thinking about when they said curiosity killed the cat. It wasn't curiosity that kills things, it's stupidity!" Cid continued, ignoring Marle.

"Are you saying that I'm stupid?" Marle said, half rising from her seat.

"No! It was me who was stupid because I wasn't persistent enough when I noticed that something was wrong!" he hit the wall, "and now this!"

A guard appeared at the cell door, "Quiet in there!"

Cid turned on the guard, "You shut up and stay out of this!"

The guard drew his sword, "What did you say?"

"You head me!" Cid continued.

"Boy, quiet down or I'll come in there and execute you ahead of schedule." the guard said reaching for his keys on his belt.

"Oh sure, that would be smart! Walk in here and you'll get mobbed by all of us!" Cid continued taunting the guard, "Come on in, try us! It's almost an even fight, being one against..." Cid counted the people in the cell, "six."

The guard seemed to think for a moment, then finally sheathed his sword and walked off, grumbling.

"Not bad, Cid," Crono said, nodding to the technician.

"Thanks," Cid said.

"-But the guard will be back with more. And they'll take you to the torture chamber for misconduct."

Cid stared at Crono, "What?!"

"Maybe," Crono said, "but we'll be gone by then."

"And how will we do that?" Melchior asked.

"Magus can blow the door down."

"And alert all of the guards in the castle," Marle said sarcastically, "Great plan Crono. It would make Lucca envious."

Magus said nothing. He stepped forward instead, pointing at the door.

"No, don't!" Crono yelled, too late, "I didn't-"

They waited for the explosion that would send guards streaming into the prison.

There was an audible click as the door was unlocked. Then in swung open, freeing the group. Magus dropped his hand and finally spoke, "I don't have enough energy to blow it open at the moment."

"Let's go!" Crono yelled, running out of the cell and into the main hallway.

He reached the arms rack and plucked his sword from it, belting the sheath and sliding the sword into it. The others likewise collected their weapons. They then turned toward the exit.

The door opened suddenly, creaking on unoiled hinges. Revealing a familiar figure. The person shut the door behind him and faced the group. "I was wondering when you'd try and escape," Lietman said.

"You gonna try and stop us?" Crono asked, drawing his sword.

"I guess I have to, don't I?" Lietman replied, drawing his sword also, "Oh yeah, Pret sends his regards to you traitors."

"You're the traitor, Lietman!" Marle yelled back, "Pret is a murderer, not a king."

"All the more reason to BE the king," Lietman replied.

"What? You're insane," Marle said, shocked, "Murderers shouldn't be king!"

"Then how would they keep the people in line? A few deaths must be initialized in order to prevent total anarchy."

"Loyalty," Marle answered his question, then she aimed her crossbow at Lietman, waiting for him to move.

Lietman stood facing the group for a moment, then he charged headlong into the group. It was a move that would usually be a mistake. However, the group was unprepared, and Lietman was a much better fighter than they had anticipated. Marle found suddenly, that she didn't have her shot anymore, Lietman was in the midst of her friends.

He swung his sword at Crono's head, but it was parried by a scythe, courtesy of Magus. Cid lunged at Lietman's unprotected side with his dagger, but he was kicked in the stomach, and he fell over wheezing for air.

Lietman's hand shot out and grabbed the scythe's metal pole before Magus could recover it. Then with a twist of his wrist, he had possession of it. He swung it and hit the doubled over Cid across the face with the blunt end of it. Cid crumpled to the ground out of the fight.

Crono counter attacked with his sword, but Lietman's sword was again free, the blow was deflected. Lietman headbutted Crono, sending the redhead to the ground in a sprawled tangle, his sword clattering on the ground behind him.

Glenn was next. He stalked forward, keeping his sword in front of him. The he jumped high into the air, driving his sword at Lietman's skull. Lietman seemed to yawn as he reached out and grabbed ahold of the frog by the arm. He used Glenn's momentum to send him flying through the air once more, this time with no control. Glenn slammed into the door, dropping the Masamune and trying to regain focus.

Marle aimed her crossbow, but she still couldn't get a shot. She circled around looking for an opening.

Melchior swung his staff at Lietman's legs. The fighter was unprepared for a low attack, and he was knocked to the ground lying on his back.

Cid was back up, though groggy. He raised his dagger in a stabbing motion and swung it down at the unprotected Lietman. However, Lietman swung his legs up over his head, rolling backwards and ending back on his feet.

The dagger struck the ground, next to the dropped scythe, and scraped on the stone floor. Lietman reared back his sword to kill Cid, but then suddenly a sword point broke through his chest.

Blood burst from the wound as Lietman looked down to witness the last of his heart. Behind him, Crono drew back his sword and kicked the body to the ground. Lietman fell to the ground facedown, blood pooling around his chest.

"Traitor," Crono said, wiping his sword on the body before resheathing it.

Then suddenly, a wind seemed to blow in the hall. The torch flames danced in the slight breeze but remained lit. Then Lietman's body began to move. The group backed away from the animate corpse, unsure what was happening.

Then Lietman stood. Blood still poured from the wound, but he didn't seem to notice. His sword lay on the ground forgotten. He raised his arms to the side and started to laugh.

Then his form started to waver, as if it were a mirage. His body began to morph, to twist and enlarge. His laughing face began twisting into an evil grin of pain and his hair seemed to draw into his head until it was gone. His blue eyes glowed with a hidden power.

His lower torso began to turn red. Four legs emerged from his waist, but they weren't normal legs. They were insect-like in appearance and red in color. His two remaining legs twisted into the same. His body elongated itself to give room to his six legs and a long seven-foot barbed appendage began to grow from the far end of the body. A stinger.

His upper half had remained basically the same. But below the stomach was the body of a scorpion. The barbed tail raised high into the air, arching over his head and his six legs clattered on the cobblestone floor.

Merjhra stopped laughing and looked down at the stunned group, "What do you plan to do now?"

The bloody hole in his chest was gone, it had healed. Even the blood that had pooled on the floor was gone. It was all an illusion.

A crossbow bolt embedded itself into his left shoulder. Merjhra winced from the sting and grabbed the bolt, snapping it with his hand and throwing it back to Marle, "Not enough."

His stinger suddenly stretched as it was whipped over Merjhra's head. Crono dived to the side just in time as the barb struck the ground where he had been standing moments before. The stinger retracted to its normal length and prepared for another strike.

Merjhra bent down and picked up Lietman's sword.

"It's a demon!" Melchior yelled.

"We know that," Crono said standing up from his dive.

Merjhra came at Magus, but the sorcerer faded from view, only to reappear behind the arachtaur swinging his scythe. The scythe bounded off of the exoskeleton of the tail, harmless.

"But I should have been able to see through its disguise," Melchior said, "What's going on?"

The tail elongated yet again as Merjhra turned to Magus. It swung down at the sorcerer, but Magus was able to stop the blow, hooking the barb with the curve of his scythe. He twisted his scythe and chipped a chunk off of the exoskeleton. The tail retracted and Merjhra swung his sword at Magus. Magus again faded from view reappearing at the door. Crono and Cid ran to the backside of the monster and began hacking at the nearly indestructible armor of the insect exoskeleton. It was beginning to show signs of damage.

Merjhra ignored them for the moment concentrating on the main threat at the moment, the magic user. He advanced toward the door Magus stood in front of. Then Magus raised his arms, a ball of fire struck the demon square in the chest.

The demon's front legs buckled from the impact, but he was able to hold. A black singe mark remained on his chest. Magus faded and reappeared back with the others, kneeling on the ground, weak from even the slightest use of magic.

Then the door opened behind the monster. Merjhra turned surprised. He faced the open door and the man in the doorway holding a sword at him.

"And who the hell are you?" Marshall said.

The demon shrieked and his stinger swung around to lash at Marshall. Marshall was surprised, and acted on instinct. His arm raised into the air and caught the tail, hovering inches from his face.

"That's not very nice," Marshall said.

He then grunted with an unseen effort and there was a loud snapping noise. The tail was snapped off like a stick, the exoskeleton crackling loudly. Blood issued from the wound.

Merjhra yelled in pain and dropped his sword. A big mistake. His tail waved around wildly, throwing blood onto the walls, floor, and ceiling. His legs danced around, clicking on the floor furiously.

Marshall shoved his sword into the monster's chest.

Merjhra collapsed, nearly defeated. Marshall reared back and punched the face of the demon. Merjhra's head buckled under the blow, twisting to the side so fast there was an audible snap as his neck was broken. Finally, the demon collapsed to the ground, defeated.

"You killed him, Marshall!" Marle yelled happily.

Marshall looked at the others, "He tried to attack me," he said defensively, as if he was explaining why he did something wrong.

Cid looked at his dagger, then at Lietman's sword. He belted the dagger and picked up the sword. However, there was no sheath for it, he would have to carry it for now.

Marshall made a head count, "Where's that Lateman or whatever his name was?"

"You're standing on him," Crono said, putting his sword into the sheath.

Marshall digested the information, nodding, "I always thought he acted funny, but I'd never think he looked funny too."

"We have to get out of here fast. The guard will be back soon with the others." Melchior said.

"Guard with others?" Marshall asked, "...Oh you mean those half dozen guys I met back there. Don't worry about them."

Cid told him about how he had annoyed the guard and the guard had left to get more.

"That was stupid," Marshall said to the gloating Cid, "He went to get others so they could take you to the torture chamber."

"That's what Crono said, and anyway it worked, didn't it?" Cid asked.

"What worked? I doubt you had any idea you were creating a diversion when you did that, Cid," Marle said, picking up the broken pieces of her crossbow bolt.

"So what?" Cid asked, "It still worked."

Crono opened the door and peered out. After a moment he turned to the others, "Its clear."


	32. Chapter 32

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 32

* * *

"This way," Crono said, taking a left and half-running down the hall.

"Sure aren't that many guards around, are there," Cid said observantly, "Since we left the jail area, I've counted a whole zero of them that we've met."

"The place should be crawling with guards, unless they are on break or at a meeting. Even then, there would still be some remaining Marle said.

"Maybe Pret fired them all," Crono said jokingly.

"I smell another trap," Cid said, "...and this time, listen to me. Something's not right."

"Yeah, a trap," Crono said, "Think about it. Lietman knew we were going to escape. He even knew WHEN we were going to. I take it that Pret knows we're coming."

"Pret expected Lietman to kill us though," Marle said.

"Well, he positioned the guards to give us perfect runway to the throne room," Crono said, taking another left and climbing some stairs, "I think he is taking a possibility that we survived into action. He is waiting for us."

Marshall laughed, "He probably has all of the guards crammed into the throne room waiting for us to step in."

Cid laughed, "Don't say stuff like that... That would be a massacre though."

"You take your death quite lightly, Cid," Magus said.

"Nah, it scares the heck out of me. But I'm not dead yet, so why worry?"

"That's the spirit," Marshall said as Crono stopped in front of the giant double doors leading to the throne room.

"Here we are," Melchior said.

"Now if it is a trap, we run like hell out of this place, ok?" Marshall said.

Crono nodded, "Sounds feasible. Now is everyone ready?"

Cid and Glenn nodded. Marle and Marshall said, "Yeah." Magus remained quiet and Melchior waved Crono on. Crono shrugged, "Okay."

He grabbed ahold of the door ring and heaved. The door swung open, squeaking like a banshee. The others looked apprehensively inside.

The room was empty of guards. The only person inside was Pret. He sat in his throne proudly, waiting for his enemy to enter. He had his regal garb donned, he looked the king.

After all, it was the last day he'd be king.

"Where are your troop, oh might king?" Melchior asked as he stepped into the room.

Pret looked at the old man, "Why would I need them?"

"Then you are going to surrender without a fight? If so then hand the crown to its rightful owner, Queen Nadia." Melchior said, banging his staff on the floor.

"Yes."

Pret stood up and threw off his robes. He then took the crown and advanced toward the others calmly. Marle stood forward and reached out to take the crown.

Then Marshall suddenly yelled, "Wait! His eyes! He's lying!"

Pret blinked and when his eyes reopened, they were pure black. Then his body melded away, revealing a simple shadow beneath. The shadow's left hand grew sharp and it stabbed at Marle.

The Masamune was there to deflect the attack, glowing fiercely. Thatos snarled and melted to the floor, scurrying away. Pret's body remained on the ground.

"What was that?!" Cid asked.

"A shadow creature," Melchior replied.

"Well, where'd it go?!" Cid continued.

"It's gone, I think the Masamune scared it off. Good job, Glenn." Crono said.

Marle bent over and picked up the crown from the ground, "So many deaths. And all over this, a piece of metal."

"It's not the crown, it's the power it represents, Queen Nadia." Melchior replied.

"Please don't-" Marle began.

Pret moaned at her feet. He hands moved slightly, then he was picking himself up. He got to his knees and looked up to face the others, "Help... me!" he said hoarsely.

"What's wrong?" Crono asked.

Then a hand of shadow shot out of the wall. The arm behind it was impossibly long, stretching out ten feet. The hand grabbed ahold of the back of Pret's head and seemed to seep inside of him. Pret screamed and grabbed his head trying to fight the possession.

"K..." Pret said through gnashed teeth.

"What?" Marle asked.

"Kill... me!" he repeated, "End it!"

Marle stared at him for a moment, "You murdered my father. You deserve this."

Pret reached out to her, but she knocked his feeble hand away. His eyes faded to black, then back to brown.

Then Crono was there. He walked around Marle, raised his sword, and embedded it into Pret's chest.

Pret shuddered for a moment, then fell to the ground with a sigh that sounded like 'thanks'. The shadow flew out of his body like a ghost and into the floor to disappear.

The king of the kingdom of Guardia was dead.

"What did you do, Crono?!" Marle yelled.

"I ended senseless suffering," he replied turning to her.

"But he killed my father!" she yelled.

"No he didn't, he replaced your father. Guardia was killed by a Mystic arrow. Pret did, however, betray this kingdom by collaborating with demons," Crono said angrily, "The penalty of treason is death. I gave that sentence to him."

Marle stared at him for a moment, then was quiet.

"Is that demon still around?" Marshall asked warily, looking around the room.

"Probably, don't let your guard down," Glenn replied.

"It has to find a new host," Melchior said, "Because-"

The throne room doors were suddenly thrown open. A dozen guards streamed into the room. They drew their weapons and charged the group.

"Stop! It's me, Nadia!" Marle yelled to the royal guard, stepping forward.

"Nadia, step back!" Melchior yelled, "They aren't human."

Marle gasped, and jumped away from the advancing troop. Then the royal guard stopped.

There was a shriek behind the group and they turned to the throne to see a giant winged demon. It was a black dragon. Standing at twenty feet tall, with a wingspan of thirty, it filled the room, its head mere feet from the ceiling. It shrieked again.

"Looks like it found a host," Cid gulped.

"We killed your master!" Melchior yelled, "Give up and return to the world you were spawned! This is not your world!"

The Dark Bahamut laughed and peered down at them, "Nikades lives, you fools. His false death was just a ploy in his dark plot. To turn you from him so that he might freely complete his work. And now you are too late to stop him." the voice echoed off of the walls and ceiling of the room loudly, "The Dreamstone is in his reach. You are too late to stop him, but you still must die. You have... annoyed him so much."

The Dark Bahamut flared his wings, stretching the thirty foot wingspan to its fullest. Then black fire began to buildup in the area just in front of its wings. There was a whining noise as the power was collected and built up forming a horizontal ellipse of black fire.

The castle started shaking from the sheer power that the force was generating.

Then it became quiet. The dark bahamut stood with his wings spread open looking at the group. The guards behind them were motionless. The black fire seemed to flow in the area it was trapped. Almost as if its container were about to burst.

"Get down now!" Marshall yelled suddenly.

He reached out and grabbed Cid and Marle with each of his hands and threw them to the ground as he too ducked. Glenn, Magus, Crono, and Melchior followed suit.

Then the energy was released.

Cid looked up in awe as armageddon occurred. The fire flew all directions filling the room with itself. The walls were blown away from the black shockwave. The rubble was thrown through the outside walls of the castle, crashing into the ground outside the home of Guardia's king. The outside walls of the castle collapsed from lack of support, shuddering with their fall into the earth. Several towers of the castle toppled over, breaking apart in mid-fall.

The royal guards were disintegrated where they stood as the dark flare overtook them. Their ashes were blown back out the door they had entered.

The ceiling was torn off of the castle, flying up near a hundred feet into the air with dark flames erupting from the new hole.

The dark flare had missed them barely. They were numb from the sheer force that had been generated by this otherworldly creature. The dark flame was still everywhere, eating the castle from the inside out.

Cid stared at the spectacle as the Dark Bahamut shrieked again. Then suddenly one of the castle's towers came crashing into the destroyed throne room. The Dark Bahamut was crushed under it, its shriek fading away.

The dark flare slowly faded away, but its effect was left. The crumbled castle was burning. Real fires had erupted all over the remains. Smoke was billowing up into the air.

The group looked up at the smoke as a face seemed to meld from it. It looked down at them laughingly. Then the smoke face dissipated as it climbed into the air.

The group climbed to their feet quickly, looking around.

"Let's get out of here, now," Melchior said.

xxxxx

Ayla emerged from her tent sleepily. She had heard a noise and decided it deserved investigation. She stretched as she looked at the sun. It was morning, the pastel colors of the sunrise still apparent.

Then she heard the noise again. It was the sound of a fight. She looked south across the bridge to see smoke billowing from the far homes.

"What?" she asked as she ran to the bridge that crossed the river separating her village.

Ayla reached the far bank to witness the destruction of her village. Bodies of the Ioku were littered across the ground, all of their homes on fire. Several of her tribesmen and tribeswomen were still up and fighting.

Fighting monsters.

The giant, black doglike demons were everywhere. The superstitious villagers were panicking from the sudden appearance of their worst nightmares. And at the far end of the village was a man.

A familiar man. His brown cloak matched his long brown hair. He stood laughing as he watched the murder of his ancestors. The black eyepatch was clearly visible.

Then Dalton stopped laughing and faced straight at Ayla.

Ayla was flared with anger. She broke into a run toward her adversary. A demon got in her way, but she simply vaulted over it; landing gracefully and continuing her advance.

"Why you burn village?! Kill people?! We no harm you, dead man!" Ayla yelled as she closed on Dalton.

"You have something I want, animal," Dalton said, his remaining eye glaring at her, then he looked thoughtful, "Dead man, huh."

"What so important you need kill people for?" Ayla said, confused.

"Hand me the dreamstone and your village will still be half of what it used to be," Dalton said, not answering her question.

"You want red rock? That what so important? You need kill people over stone?" Ayla stopped her advance, standing ten feet from a past antagonist.

"That is something an animal like you doesn't need to know," Dalton said, "Now give me the dreamstone."

"If you want rock so bad, you fight Ayla for it," Ayla said.

"I thought you'd never ask," Dalton said, preparing his all too familiar magic.

xxxxx

Crono looked up at the area where the ceiling should have been, but wasn't. It was all too surreal. Guardia castle had been blown to bits in just a matter of one minute. Now it was just a burning ruin.

"Crono! Hurry!" Marle yelled waving to him and breaking him out of his shock.

"Right," he said shakily and dashed off after the others.

There was a loud crash behind him. The roof had finally landed. Then there were several more crashes, indicating that the roof wasn't one piece anymore. Like the rest of the castle, it had been blown to bits.

A large chunk of rock crashed in front of him like a meteor. Crono danced around it and sprinted after the fading from view Marle. That was too close for comfort.

They reached the portcullis, or at least where it had once been. Now it lay across the moat several dozen meters into the forest. All around the castle were toppled trees, blown over from the blast.

"Geez," Cid said in awe.

"The drawbridge is gone," Marshall said observantly.

"No kidding," Marle replied, "How do we get across now?"

"Do we swim?" Glenn asked uncertainly.

"Can't," Marle said, "the water level is about six feet below the ground, which is straight up. We could get into the water, but not out."

"Then how-" Crono began.

Another tower, the last, toppled over. It crashed noisily against the front of the remains of the castle, not fifty feet from where the group stood. The tower struck the crumbled wall, which collapsed under it. The tower continued its plummet, hitting the ground and reaching across the waters to the land across from the castle.

Making a nice little bridge.

"Let's move!" Marshall yelled, making a sprint for the tower before it fell apart.

The others followed behind. Marshall jumped and grabbed a handhold for himself, then pulled himself up on top of the cylinder shaped bridge. He reached down and grabbed Marle's hand, pulling her up as well. The others followed, one by one.

"Now run across!" Melchior yelled.

The tower was starting to crack, the group needed no such encouragement. Then bolted for safety as the tower began to split.

They reached the end of the tower, its top as the foundation of the middle finally gave way from the fall. It shuddered, then broke apart. The end they were standing on started to raise up as their half of the tower began to fall into the moat. Quickly, they jumped off of it. There was a loud splash behind them as the tower, embedded itself into the moat, the tower's top poking up over the moat's edge. The bottom half of the tower still poked halfway across the moat, but it wasn't needed now.

"Where do we go now?" Cid asked, always the questionnaire.

"Do we return to the camp to the west?" Marle asked.

"No," Melchior shook his head, "It won't be there. We underestimated the enemy very badly. The demons have complete control of the castle," he looked at the ruins, "What's left of it... and Nikades is still in control."

"I know I killed him. I stabbed him right in the heart." Marshall said.

"Maybe when we meet him again, you can ask him how he performs his tricks," Crono said, "but we had better get to Lucca's house. If Nikades is alive, he'll be wanting that gatekeeper pretty bad."

Cid swore, "She's all alone in there! We have to hurry."

Marshall shook his head, "That's the way it is. Everywhere we've been going, we've had to hurry... Oh well, let's go."

As they began their journey toward Lucca's house, Marshall filed in beside Melchior and Magus. "Could either of you tell me what the hell that was back there that baked the castle?"

Melchior shrugged, "I know of it. But not much other than that.

"It was a dark bahamut. A demon."

"It looked like a dragon to me," Marshall said.

"It was... of some sorts. But a demon is just a creature from another dimension or universe. It's not a monster. There are just as many good or neutral demons as there are bad."

"Then how come we've been just running into bad demons?" Marshall queried.

"Nikades is doing the recruiting, not us. I doubt a good demon would agree to what he has in mind... whatever that is." Melchior finished, slightly sarcastic.

"Couldn't we recruit good demons for ourselves. To help?"

Melchior shook his head, "Do you know any 'residents' of any other dimension. We wouldn't know where to look. We could open up a dimension full of evil monsters and they could escape."

Marshall looked scared for a moment, "But Nikades is-"

"He knows what he's doing. Remember, he was banished to another universe millennia ago. He knows the territory."

"Was that dark bahamut one of those evil monsters?"

"Yes. And it was extremely powerful. But it was the shadow demon that was in control, not the bahamut. We're lucky to have killed the shadow demon like that. If it had lived, it would have gotten a much meaner monster. Something that could tear this planet apart with its _hands_."

"Nothing's _that_big," Marshall said unconvincingly.

"Nothing that you've seen before." Melchior replied.

"Why'd the shadow kill itself?" Crono asked, eavesdropping.

"I don't know," Melchior replied, "Maybe its job was complete. Maybe our death was all it was needed for."

"Or maybe it was making sure that we died. Whatever could kill it, would surely kill us. We just got lucky. Marshall thought quickly, and we all ducked the attack," Crono said.

"Maybe," Melchior said, then went silent.

They had reached the bridge to Lucca's house.e door and peered out. After a moment he turned to the others, "Its clear."


	33. Chapter 33

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 33

* * *

"Lucca!?" Crono yelled.

He stood in the front yard, beside the gatekeeper. It was dusk now, the sun hiding behind the ocean's horizon slightly, but not enough to cause darkness.

"Lucca!?" Cid yelled also, walking toward the door to her house. There was no response. The house remained eerily quiet.

"Sounds like trouble to me," Crono said and he followed Cid to the door.

Melchior and Magus were inspecting the gatekeeper as Marshall, Marle, Crono, Glenn, and Cid entered the house. It was dark inside, the lights were out and sunlight was minimal.

"Lucca?" Cid asked again.

"I hope Ni-" Marle began.

"I'm here, I'm here. Just wait!" Lucca yelled from her room.

"I don't like this," Crono said, "no lights and someone posing to be Lucca upstairs. Sounds all too familiar."

"Yeah," Marle began, shuddering slightly, "Do you think Nikades is using an old trick?"

"What are-" Cid began.

Then the upstairs door opened and Lucca emerged wearing a bathrobe. Her hair was wet and she looked annoyed. Her glasses' lens were foggy, but she managed to walk down the stairs without problems.

"What took so long?" Crono asked.

"Oh, hi to you too, Crono," she said sarcastically in response to Crono's less than cordial greeting, "I was taking a bath, if you want to know."

Crono nodded, "Hi, Lucca. Sorry about that, but we thought that Nikades had gotten control of this place again."

"Nikades?" Lucca asked, trying to comb her erratic hair with her hands.

"Yep, he's alive," Marshall answered.

"He faked his death," Marle finished.

"My fault, too," Marshall said, "Well, sort of. My last words to him were 'to play dead' as most of us know... Even fewer of us remember... But that's not the point. He's back and I'd say he's annoyed a little at all of us."

"He wishes to collect the dreamstone and sunstone," Glenn said, "I am hoping you are still in control of the sunstone."

"Oh yeah, it's in my room," Lucca said, "What did you do?"

Crono told her about what had gone on while she was away. From the trek to the rebel's camp, to the destruction of Guardia castle.

"That's funny, I didn't hear anything," Lucca said, after hearing of the destruction of the castle, "It should have been audible all over Truce, Medina, and Porre."

"Maybe you were asleep?" Cid asked.

"Not in the middle of the day," she answered.

"Maybe you were taking a bath," Crono said sarcastically, "Apparently that affects your hearing very much."

"Stow it, Crono," Lucca replied, slightly miffed, "it happened and I didn't hear it. Who cares, right? If Nikades wants the dreamstone and the sunstone, he'll stop by here first. Then he'll go after Ayla."

"You're right, you'd better get it," Marle said.

Melchior walked in, followed by Magus, "Excellent machine, Lucca. It would have made Belthasar proud," the weaponsmith said as the door was shut behind him.

"Hi, Melchior!" Lucca said suddenly, "They were just telling me about your part in this."

"Oh, they did? Well, if it lowers your view toward me in any way, they were probably lying," Melchior replied with a smile, "Anyway, congratulations on having your mach-gatekeeper work."

"Thanks, but I don't think we need to leave it standing much longer," Lucca said, "Just as soon as we clear the demons and remove Nikades, I'm dismantling it."

"But why?" Cid said suddenly.

"It's too dangerous, Cid. I can't even trust myself with something that powerful." Lucca said sadly.

"Couldn't you just alter it, remove its ability to bridge the 5th dimension?" Cid continued.

"N-Well... I guess I could try. Maybe I won't dismantle it." Lucca said, having a change of heart, "I'll go get the sunstone."

Lucca turned from the conversation and went to the stairs, heading up to her room. There was a thump as the door was shut behind her.

As soon as Lucca was gone, the group looked around at the house. She had fixed it completely. Everything was back in its normal place, and damage was repaired. Not bad in two week's time.

"So is that really Lucca?" Marshall asked suspiciously.

"Of course it is," Crono replied, annoyed that Marshall would suspect his oldest friend, "...Isn't it Melchior?"

"Yes. She is definitely no demon." Melchior replied.

Melchior walked around the room, inspecting the other inventions of the girl and her father. Every now and then he would whisper 'Amazing' to himself.

"I'm hungry," Marshall said suddenly, no apparent reason, the subject had just jumped into his head.

"I'm tired," Crono said in response.

"Don't mock me, boy. I haven't eaten since that night we camped. That night just before we reached the castle." Marshall said.

"If I remember, that was the last time we had any rest too," Cid said, "It's been a day and a half since a meal or bed."

Suddenly, the sound of a door could be heard upstairs. Then footsteps as Lucca ran down the stairs. When she reached the bottom, the group looked toward her expectantly. Instead of turning to them, she continued, mounting the other stairway and running to her parent's room. There was the sound of a door opening. Then moments later, they could hear things being thrown around and drawers opening.

"Where is it?" the heard Lucca ask herself above.

"Don't tell me she lost it," Crono said.

"Maybe Nikades already has it," Marle said, fearing what that meant, "That would mean Ayla-"

Lucca started cursing loudly from the bedroom, cutting off Marle. The group looked up toward the room, as the cursing continued.

Marshall glanced up at the ceiling where the cursing was coming from for a moment, then turned back to Crono and Marle, one eyebrow raised, "My, my," he said.

Then it stopped. Lucca meekly returned to them, her bare feet pattering on the steps.

"Well?" Crono asked.

"Nikades has it, I think," Lucca said, looking down.

"How dandy!" Marshall bellowed, "I'm tired and hungry; but now we have to hurry to wherever this Ayla person is and save him! I'll never be able to eat."

"For one thing," Marle said, "Ayla is a she. For another, 'wherever' is about fifty million years in the past. For a third, yes we do have to save her."

"We're leaving in the morning," Melchior said.

"What?" Marle asked, turning to the guru.

"For one thing," Melchior said, turning her own words against her, "Magus needs to rest. For another, _we_need to rest, for a third we don't know where the gatekeeper will land us and it's dark. We shouldn't wander around lost in the dark, when the enemy could come right down on us unsuspectedly."

Marle huffed, but conceded.

"The kitchen is right in there," Lucca said pointing toward the door between the stairs, "Eat all you want," she then whispered to herself, "I know I'll regret saying that."

The group, save Lucca and Cid, ran into the kitchen to cook a meal for themselves. Cid turned to Lucca, "Are you coming with us this time?"

"Yeah," she said, heading for the stairs to her room.

Cid followed, "Why'd you stay last time, anyway?"

"I had to work on The Gatekeeper," Lucca said evasively.

Cid nodded, but said, "What did you do to it?"

Lucca reached her door and opened it stepping inside. She waved Cid in and he followed.

"I just made sure it was still working. I really didn't do anything. With all of that extra time left over, I decided to tidy up the house."

Cid nodded, looking at her room. It was indeed tidy.

"Cid?" Lucca asked.

He turned his head to her, "Yes?"

"Thanks for saving me from Nikades." she said quietly and sincerely.

"It was no problem," Cid said modestly.

"Yes it was. Nikades made me watch everything he did to you. You risked your sanity to help me. I really mean it. Thanks."

"You're welcome," was all Cid could think to say.

Lucca smiled at him. Then suddenly, acting on impulse, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. She drew back, "Go eat something, Cid. I know you're just as hungry as the rest. I have to finish my bath."

Cid stood there for a moment, stunned.

Lucca smiled again, "I'll be down afterward to eat with all of you."

Cid said 'bye' to her and left. He shut the door behind him. He went downstairs toward the kitchen, hoping he wasn't still blushing when he went in with the others.

xxxxx

After they finished eating it was time to get to bed. Since there were only two beds in the houses, lots would have to be drawn to see who would get them. The others would be given blankets to sleep in the floor.

Lucca had won the first drawing, and after saying good night to the others, she retired to her room. Marshall had won the second one, but after inspecting the bed, he complained that it was too small for him. The lot was redrawn and Crono was the winner.

He offered it to Magus, who of course was still weak from lack of magic, and naturally Magus rejected the offer less than gracefully. Crono shrugged, said good night, and headed off to bed. The other found spots on the floor and tried to get as much sleep as they could.

xxxxx

Lucca fell asleep moments after getting into bed. And in her sleep the nightmares returned.

The images flashed through her head, repeating over and over in quick succession. Cid was shot by Marle. Guardia was burned, its occupants screaming in the blaze. Her parents dead. Nikades with the powers of a god. And many more passed through her head, but she couldn't comprehend them.

"These things," said a voice much like hers.

Lucca was standing in darkness. She looked around and a figure stepped out of the darkness toward her. It was a mirror image of Lucca.

"These things are prophecies of what has been caused by your tampering with time. Some have passed. Some have yet to pass. All _will_pass." continued the figure.

"I want to stop them!" Lucca yelled, surprised that her voice was there.

"They are set in stone, they cannot be changed. They are your doing, Lucca. You must live with the consequences of your actions."

"Who are you?" Lucca asked.

"That is something which you must not know."

"Then why are you showing me these prophecies? If I know what will happen, then surely I can change them!"

"You are allowed a vision of what is to come because it is your curse. It is your curse because you cannot change these. Only witness them happen."

"Bring me my parents back!" Lucca yelled angrily.

"Why?" the voice startled Lucca. It was Nikades.

The mirror of Lucca seemed to freeze. It stopped all movement and was as still as a statue. Then suddenly it shattered like a window being broken. The shards flew away and faded away into the blackness. Then a figure stepped into the light.

An all-powerful Nikades had appeared in the mirror's place.

"You are doing this Nikades! Leave me alone! I don't care what will happen, I want everything to return to normal!" Lucca yelled accusingly.

Nikades laughed, "Nothing will ever be normal again. You are too slow to stop me, and now I am within the point of grasping the power that is duly mine."

"I will stop you!"

Lucca was suddenly hefted into the air by her neck. An invisible force had ahold of her. She struggled vainly against the hold, but couldn't cause it to release. Then it dropped her.

Lucca fell and fell. She tried to scream in fear, but her voice had again deserted her. Then she landed with a hard impact.

"If you cannot beat me physically or even magically, how can you beat me?" the voice mocked.

Lucca opened her eyes to witness her room. She looked beside herself to see the bed rising over her. She had rolled out of it. She looked out the window to see that it was still dark, nighttime still remained. She sighed.

Then a face appeared at the window, silhouetted against the darkness beyond. It sneered at her. Lucca was petrified by that gaze, she couldn't move. The monster's eyes began to glow red slightly, tiny embers in the ash. Lucca was shaking with fright as the face looked in on her.

She turned her head away finally, as hard as wrenching out her arm. She covered herself with her blanket, wanting to be relieved of these nightmares.

Five minutes passed. She carefully peered out of her hiding spot to look at the window.

It was empty.

She was hallucinating from fear. Lucca groaned and crawled back into bed. She couldn't live much longer with this.

She concealed herself with her blanket and tried to return to sleep. Hoping the nightmares did not return.

xxxxx

Cid awoke the next morning, someone shaking him lightly. He groggily opened his eyes and looked up to see Glenn hovering over him.

He yelped in panic, surprised to awake with a giant frog leering down at him. He jumped up and away before realizing that this was a friend waking him, not a fiend.

"Are you okay?" Glenn asked.

"Yeah, sorry. You just caught me off guard," Cid apologized.

He looked around the room to see most of the others looking at him, trying to hide their smirks. Only Lucca and Magus were missing.

"Don't even start," Cid warned the others.

"Start what?" Crono asked innocently, trying not to laugh.

"You know what," Cid said. He reached up and used his hand to comb his hair, which was always wild when he woke up in the morning.

"Where's that damned sorcerer," Marshall bellowed, obviously not very tired anymore.

"He's outside, Marshall," Melchior replied, "I take it he preferred to sleep out there."

"Weirdo," Marshall mumbled to himself as he scratched his back.

"Is Lucca up yet?" Marle asked.

"Go check if you want an answer," Crono said, still smiling uncontrollably.

"You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?" Cid accused.

"Would I do that?" Crono asked.

"Yes. That and much more, now stop," Cid said, folding his blanket up.

Marle returned with a very tired looking Lucca a few moments later. Lucca stumbled on the stairs for a moment, but she managed the descent without hurting herself.

"You okay, Lucca?" Cid asked.

"Yeah, just-" she yawned, "-just tired is all."

"Okay, then are you hungry?" Crono asked, "Because we're eating breakfast before we go to Ayla."

"Sure," she said without putting much effort into speaking.

"I hope Ayla is still there," Marle said, "I'd hate to reach there too late."

"I hope Ioku is still there," Crono said.


	34. Chapter 34

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 34

* * *

"Does is still work, Lucca?" Marle asked as the young inventor tinkered with the gatekeeper.

"Of course it does. I examined it while you were away blowing up castles." Lucca replied, pushing yet another button.

"Then what's the holdup?" Marle continued.

"I don't completely know how to operate it," Lucca replied over her shoulder, still groping for the correct switch.

"And you invented it?" Crono asked incredulously.

Lucca ignored him.

Marshall shivered and huddled in his cloak, "It's starting to get cold out here. I see storm clouds heading our direction from the north; we'd better hurry and get to that stone."

There was suddenly a bright flash of light and Lucca jumped back, saying something to herself harshly.

"What was that?" Melchior asked.

"Stupid thing zapped me," Lucca replied, leaning closer and inspecting the wiring, "Here it is, the wire's showing through a little here; I must've touched it."

Lucca held the wire for a moment, "Does anyone have anything that'll cover this that doesn't conduct electricity?" she asked, giving Marshall a meaningful look.

"Don't look at me," he replied holding up his hands.

"Oh well, it's not necessary. . .just make sure nobody touches that wire." Lucca said, turning back to her machine.

"You know," Marshall said, not finished yet, "I'm tired of all of the jokes you all keep making about my 'preparedness'."

"Oh is that what you call it?" Lucca asked mockingly, "I remember that guard saying it was 'being armed to the teeth'."

"See? You just can't resist making a joke." Marshall said, drawing himself up.

"Ok, fine. I'll try to stop," Lucca said.

"And the rest of you?" he queried.

The group muttered their own 'sorry's' and 'yes's', Marshall was satisfied however.

"There! Got it!" Lucca suddenly exclaimed unnecessarily as the center of the gatekeeper suddenly burst into blue light.

"'Bout time," Marshall muttered, shivering again in the suddenly cold air.

"Now who's making jokes?" Lucca asked him.

"Lay off, it's a hobby of mine," Marshall replied, avoiding her vocal barb.

"Sure," Cid said.

"So the gate takes us to the entrance to Ioku village?" Crono asked Lucca, making sure even though she had told them a dozen times already.

"Step in and find out," she said slyly.

"If it's warm, I'll go," Marshall replied.

"I do hope we make it in time," Glenn remarked, his amphibious neck flapping unconsciously.

The group all entered the gate. After the last had entered it, the rip in time sealed, sending the heroes into the past.

It started to rain a few minutes later.

xxxxx

Ayla fell to the group, smoke wifting from her body. Above her, Dalton gloated. She looked up weakly at him.

"Not expecting that were ya?" he smirked, "I am slightly stronger than I used to be. . .when you tricked me into opening my own doom. I found an old. . .friend, Nikades. He had such a wonderful device that allowed me to return for revenge.

"Of course, we HAVE had our fallouts before," Dalton continued, indicating his eyepatch, "but I think I've forgiven him. If not. . .well there's hardly a damn thing I can do about it anyway."

Ayla groaned and slumped down.

"Am I boring you? Too bad," he asked in false sympathy, then went on to more important things, "I beat you, where is the dreamstone?"

Ayla lost consciousness.

"Well?" Dalton continued, unknowing of her lack of wakefullness, "I'm listening. . . .I beat you, now tell me!"

He kicked her inert form. Then he noticed lack of wakefullness, "Oops! Sorry about that."

He looked around, then spotted more houses up north, "Onward, my loyal troops!" he roared, enjoying this fully.

The demons snarled and headed toward the bridge in a frenzy. Dalton laughed at there simplicity. Kill. Kill. Kill. With a little snarling and frothing in between.

Then he heard someone yelling behind him.

xxxxx

"What happened!?" Marle asked in shock.

"It appears that we are indeed too late, doesn't it," Magus said.

There was the sound of metal sliding on metal as his scythe was released. The blade swung out with a ring, "But not too late," he continued, "the fires are still burning."

"What fires?" Crono asked, "All of the houses are torn down, not burning."

"Not big fires; campfires. They're still burning." Magus replied.

"I see the demons!" Cid suddenly yelled, nearly hopping up and down in excitement.

"Where?" Lucca asked.

She followed where his hand was pointing. To the bridge. She then saw that the northern half of Ioku was still in good condition.

"They're attacking the rest of the village!" Marle yelled, noticing also, the movement.

There was another ring of steel and Crono was running down the plains toward the city, sword drawn. The others followed drawing weapons as they ran.

They reached the town, not slowing. They had to reach the demons. However, when Melchior yelled for them to stop, they hesitated.

"What is it, old man?" Marshall asked, "We don't exactly have much time to spare."

"I'm sure you know that girl," Melchior said, pointing at a body lying on the ground near one of the campfires.

"That's Ayla!" Marle gasped, running over to the body.

"Is she alright?" Crono asked, as Marle bent over the inert form.

"She's unconscious. I'll stay and take care of her, the rest of you go on ahead. I'll catch up." Marle said, cradeling her ancestor in her lap.

Marshall seemed to think, ". . .Ok, you stay here and help her. But we have to stop this slaughter."

"Let's go," Crono said impatiently, then added, "Take care, Marle."

"See you later, Crono," she replied.

They turned and continued, leaving the homemade paramedic behind. They reached the bridge as the demons swarmed into the village.

Then moments later, they were across the bridge and helping the villagers stop the slaughter.

xxxxx

Ayla opened her eyes to see Marle hovering over her.

Marle saw her movement and seemed elated, "Ayla, are you ok?"

"Yes. No hurt much," she replied, wincing heavily, "There monsters attacking village. You must help me."

"The others are doing that. Who was in charge of the attack, do you know?" Marle continued.

"Bird man," she said groggily.

"Great," Marle replied, "another demon."

xxxxx

Crono beheaded the first demon who challenged him. He then ran into the main fray, stabbing his sword deep into the jaw of one three-legged demon trying to bite his neck.

He drew back his sword as victim number two fell to the ground, dead.

He looked around, making a count. There were around three dozen remaining. Against half that many villagers, plus half a dozen veteran demon-fighters, it was a fair fight.

Fair for Crono and his friends.

He watched as Magus made good use of his backup weapon, the scythe. Magus was still not strong enough to use his magic effictively, but that didn't stop him from causing a body count under his name.

xxxxx

"Not demon, but man," Ayla said.

"What does bird man mean? Who is it? Do you know his name?" Marle pressed.

Ayla laughed slightly, coughing, "No remember."

"Great," Marle said again.

xxxxx

Marshall watched as the last demon was killed. Of the twenty or so villagers, fifteen still survived. It was much worse down south. Overall, there was a casualty rate of around one hundred.

Out of three hundred men, women, and children.

Marshall shook his head in disgust.

"Hey! Those were MY demons!" yelled a voice.

Marshall snapped his head up, thinking of a reply. Finally he yelled up to the voice, "If you want them back, we can always loft their bodies back up to you. Some assembly may be required however."

"Who are you?!" Crono yelled, ignoring Marshall's answer to every situation, talk big.

"Don't you recognize past encounters?"

xxxxx

"I'm not good at guessing games, Ayla. Could you give me a description?" Marle pressed.

"Man under Zeal." Ayla said.

"Nikades, isn't it?" Marle asked, thinking so herself.

Ayla shook her head viciously, "No! Not him. Man with cloth over eye."

Marle tried to think. She knew the man. He was supposed to be dead. He had to be dead. He wasn't dead. It seemed that an old threat had returned to add scorn to them.

"Dalton?" Marle asked.

Ayla nodded.

"Can you walk?" Marle asked.

"Not sure," Ayla replied.

"Here, I'll try something. I never was much good at using magic, but you'll need all the help you can get."

Marle stood and closed her eyes. She willed her energy to envelop Ayla.

Ayla started as she was surrounded by blue light, but calmed down as the soothing light captured her. Slowly but surely her wounds began to close and heal. The burns on her skin faded away slightly, though not completely.

Marle opened her eyes to inspect her handywork, "Not too bad, but can you walk now?"

"Yes, Ayla strong again," Ayla replied standing and taking a few steps without any trouble.

"Then let's see if you can run. We have to catch up with the others fast. They don't know what they're getting into."

xxxxx

"But you're dead," Crono said in disbelief.

"Looks fine to me," Cid whispered to himself, readying his new sword.

Marshall looked at Chrono, then Dalton, "I take it this is another friend of yours?"

"Yeah. . .but more like a 'fiend' than a 'friend'." Crono replied, "How'd you survive, you traitor."

"I'm not the only one returning from the dead, boy. When last I saw your friends, they were strongly convicted that you were also 'dead.' It appears that we have at least one thing in common. . ." Dalton replied cooly.

"Yeah, well it's a long story. I don't know most of it myself," Crono replied, "but I think that after today, death will catch up with one of us."

"Maybe more," Dalton answered.

Magus stared darkly at an old acquaitence. Older than the acquaitences of the others, "As long as you're one of them, traitor."

Dalton cocked his head at Magus, "Who's this? I seem to remember. . .Ah yes, the Prophet! And to call 'me' a traitor."

Dalton's dark blue cloak billowed in a sudden gust of wind. The group looked warily, preparing for something to happen.

Then the wind died.

"Oop, false start. Sorry about that," Dalton said with a smirk.

"I have had enough of this foolishness," Glenn said; he walked forward, raising his Masamune ready for combat.

Dalton continued smiling as the wind started again, this time with more force. Glenn was suddenly swept off of his feet and hurled to the ground. Dalton waved his hand and three fireballs erupted from it. One to Chrono, one to Magus, and the third to Marshall.

Chrono was able to duck the missile targeting him, but Marshall lacked that ability due to size constrictions. The sphere of fire struck him in the shoulder as he tried to duck anyway, sending him to the ground.

Magus waved his hand, sending the fireball after him veering off to the side. Cid ducked reflexively, even though the missile had missed him by ten feet.

A second wave of Magus's hand sent a single bolt of lightning at Dalton. The bolt stopped in front of Dalton, wrapping itself around a blue sphere that had appeared around the once guru. Dalton laughed again.

"I'm not foolish enough to think I can take all of you," Dalton said as a blue gate materialized behind him, "I'll leave you to your own diversions."

"Would you leave the dreamstone behind, coward?" Glenn asked as he stood up groggily.

"Oh, Nikades doesn't 'need' the dreamstone. He has other ways to get the energy needed. Getting the dreamstone just would have been much easier, that's all." Dalton said turning from the group.

"Hey, Dalton!" yelled a voice from behind the group.

Dalton turned around to face the challenger.

Marle stood aiming her crossbow at the guru. As soon as he saw her, she pulled the trigger.

The bolt flew from the crossbow and through the air, toward Dalton's surprised head. Dalton gasped as the too fast projectile closed the gap toward him.

The bolt struck Dalton square in the forehead, splitting the skin and striking the bone. However, the bolt wasn't able to penetrate Dalton's skull, it had lost a lot of momentum carrying the distance. The arrow bounced off of Dalton's forehead, spinning off to the side. Blood seeped out from where Dalton was struck.

Dalton stood stupidly for a moment, then finally collapsed, knocked out cold from the impact. He fell to the dirt face first, a cloud of dust flung into the air from the impact.

The gate to Nikades remained open.

"Marle good shot," Ayla said catching up to the markswoman.

"I think that's the first shot I've fired that has actually done anything important in a while," Marle said, smiling as she ran up to the others, Ayla behind her.

"Who cares? We got 'im didn't we?" Crono said smiling with her, "That 'was' a good shot."

He hugged Marle. After he broke away, he continued, "How far was that? Fifty yards? Sixty? I doubt Marshall could hit something from over 30."

Marshall shrugged, "I don't know, myself. . . .but oh my, I doubt I could hit a mark on the dot from that far like that."

"What do we do with him, though?" Marle asked, modest.

"Should we kill him?" Cid asked.

"You're becoming vicious, Cid," Crono remarked.

"It's the company I've been keeping lately," Cid replied.

"We shouldn't kill him. . .yet," Lucca said, then she turned to Magus, "Magus, how are you recuperating from your excessive use of magic?"

Magus looked at her but remained silent, obviously thinking.

"Dangit Magus, I feel like I'm asking a middle aged woman her age! Just tell me, are you fit to cast magic?" Lucca snapped, impatient.

"If you must know, then yes," Magus replied, his annoyance showing through his words only slightly.

"Is there any way you can seal Dalton's powers while we question him?" Lucca asked, ignoring his tone.

"Possibly," Magus said.

"If he can't completely, I'll help," Melchior put in, speaking for the first time in a while.

"Then as soon as he wakes, we can dig him for information. We need to know exactly what Nikades is going to do with all of that power." Lucca said.

xxxxx

Dalton opened his eye to see his enemies standing all around him. He jumped to his feet immediately, but found that he was bound by rope. He fell over painfully, his feet tied together.

"It's about time," Marshall said, "You two got that 'shield' up?"

"Yes," Melchior said straining.

"Good," Lucca said, then turned to Dalton, "Dalton, could you tell me about Nikades' plan?"

"Sure," he replied.

Lucca frowned. She had expected some resistance. Something that would have required them to use forms of torture to extract information.

"You would so easily turn from your master?" Glenn asked taken aback.

"No one's my master. I do what I want, if it is in my personal interest." Dalton replied.

"Then what do you know about Nikades' 'master plan'?" Crono asked.

"Shhh, Crono," Lucca said, "I'm asking the questions."

"I want to ask some too, though," Crono replied.

"Acting a little childish, aren't you?" Marle asked.

"Kids always get what they want," Crono replied, "At least more often than adults."

Lucca sighed, but ignored Crono, "What is it?" she asked Dalton.

"Thought you'd never ask," Dalton said.

He coughed, then continued, "You see, it all has to do with trapping you all to your doom."

"What?" Lucca asked, curious.

Suddenly, Melchior and Magus were both flung into the air, the shields constructed by them obviously having failed.

However, Marshall understood the implications of what Dalton had said and he was prepared to act when Dalton made his move. He grabbed Lucca and pulled her away as a shadow hand reached out of Dalton and grabbed empty air.

"Damn all of this. It's just a bunch of traps," Marshall cursed as he drew his sword and plunged it at Dalton's chest.

Dalton suddenly faded from view, Marshall's sword struck the ground, digging about half a foot into the dirt. Marshall pulled out his weapon and spun around looking for an enemy.

"It's another stupid shadow!" Cid said disgustedly, "All this time, we thought we had control of him, but he was just biding his time."

"This one better not have a dragon with it," Crono said.

"Bahamut," Melchior corrected automatically.

"Whatever," Crono replied.

"To hell with all of the traps and hiding foes! I wanna fight a real man. . .like the good old days!" Marshall ranted as he looked for Dalton.

Dalton's laugh echoed from around them, amused at the giant's words. But Dalton didn't appear.

"I hate suspence," Cid muttered, his sword arm so taut it was shaking.

Then Dalton appeared in front of the gate. He looked at the group for a moment, then a small hole appeared in front of him. The hole grew larger and a roar erupted from its depths.

A golem crawled out of the gate.

"I gotta run. You all have fun," Dalton said, waving good-bye to the group and jumping into the blue gate.

The gate started to shut behind him.

"Lucca!" Crono yelled.

"I know, I know," Lucca replied.

She pulled out her gate key and activated it. The gate stopped its reduction in size then started to expand again. It stopped once it had reverted to its original size.

"What's that?" Marshall asked in a voice that imitated a curious little boy.

"It's not the time for jokes is what it is," Marle replied, "I hate these things."

"Isn't this what kicked Crono's butt earlier?" Lucca asked innocently.

"Shut up," Crono replied just as innocently.

The golem looked around, confused. Then it attacked the closest target: Glenn.

Glenn jumped out of its reach. After it had swung and missed, he jumped back in scraping its leg with his sword. The golem retreated slightly, wounded.

A crossbow quarrel struck it in the stomach and the golem shrieked in pain. Marle quickly reloaded.

The golem took the moment to prepare for its next attack. It reared to its full height and spread its arms. Balls of energy sprung from it, five in number.

Cid and Marle were struck by one each. They were flung to the ground in an ungraceful heap. The other three struck the ground harmless.

Cid shook his head, miraculously unharmed. Marle however, groaned, a victim of a direct hit. Crono was angered at this and he charged.

The golem dropped his arms, his energies spent. Then Crono was apon him, slashing.

The golem was somehow able to avoid Crono's attacks, and it retreated away from the armed madman. Then it counterattacked, and Crono joined Cid and Marle on the ground.

"One thing you should know," Melchior said, offhandedly, "Don't use magic on it."

The golem charged at Magus, who ducked gracefully under its claws. He then jabbed the golem in the jaw with the butt of his scythe. The golem reeled back and Magus drew away, preparing for another attack.

"Why?" Marshall asked.

"It mimics things." Melchior replied calmly.

Cid and Crono stood up, dusting themselves off. Then Crono went over and helped Marle to her feet. The golem had chosen another target, Lucca. As it attacked her, however, Glenn and Magus both attacked its flanks.

"Don't look at me," Cid said, "I can't use magic."

Melchior smiled, "Then you shouldn't have a problem."

The golem swept its hand around, striking both Magus and Glenn. They fell to the ground, both of their weapons still in their hands. Soon they were back on their feet.

Marshall and Cid filled in for Glenn and Magus, both swinging their weapons at the golem, Lucca backed off as it swung at her. After its attack missing, the golem turned to the other two antagonists, driving them back.

Miraculously, it had not been hurt yet.

"We haven't even dented the stupid thing!" Marshall said disgustedly.

"I don't think this is a normal golem," Crono replied.

The group surrounded the golem, who looked around itself apprehensively. Apparently, it was still mortal.

"What makes you say that?" Cid asked sarcastically.

The golem suddenly broke into a mad dash toward the biggest threat.

Though he might not be the deadliest threat of the group, Marshall certainly was the 'biggest'. He suddenly realized that he was a target and did the first thing natural to him when challenged.

Marshall broke into a run toward the golem. Both ran toward each other full tilt. Marshall brought his sword around, cutting at the monster's head. However, it ducked the attack and tackled the large man. Both fell to the ground in a pile.

Then the golem was up and running toward another target. This time Crono was the one in mind. Crono raised his sword, amazed at this berzerker method he had never seen a golem use.

The golem ducked, preparing to tackle Crono likewise. Crono decided to dive away at the last second. He braced himself.

Then suddenly, a crossbow quarrel struck the golem in the leg. It lost its balance and momentum and fell facefirst into the dirt, sliding gracelessly across the ground. It came to a stop right in front of Crono.

Crono looked over at Marle for a second, giving her a thumbs up. Then he stabbed the felled monster at his feet. This time, the blow did get a reaction. The golem shrieked and went limp almost immediately.

"Looks like it didn't kick my butt this time," Crono said as he withdrew his sword.


	35. Chapter 35

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 35

* * *

"That was easy," Cid mused as he viewed the carcass of the dead golem.

"They are much more deadly in pairs," Crono said as he went over to Marle, "Are you okay?"

"...Yeah, just bruised," Marle replied, "And my leg hurts. Nothing much."

She limped a step or two, testing her foot, "I think I fell on my foot the wrong way or something."

"Let me see it," Lucca said stepping over to Marle and squatting down to knee level.

"Are you a doctor?" Marshall asked curious.

"No, are you?" was all Lucca had to reply with.

Marshall scratched the back of his neck, his eyes darting around him, "Nah. I was just wondering if you knew what you were doing."

Lucca remained silent and continued to inspect Marle's leg. Marle pulled the leg of her pants up to her knee so Lucca would be able to see better.

"Hmmmm. . ." Lucca muttered, then she patted Marle's leg, who winced from the tapping, "Not broken or sprained. It was just twisted and a nerve was pinched or something. The pain'll go away after a while."

Marle nodded thankfully, "That's a relief."

"For how long will the gate remain open?" Glenn asked.

Lucca smiled, "For as long as I want. When Dalton went through it, he relinquished control of it. I used my gatekey to retake control. So I could close it or open it whenever I wanted. As long as it doesn't shut completely," she pointed the gatekey at the gate and pressed a button, "See?"

The gate began to shut. Lucca pressed another button and the gate reopened. She continued smiling, obviously happy that one of her inventions was of some use.

"Ummm. . .Lucca?" Crono asked slowly, "Please don't play with the gate. We don't want it to shut if it will lead us to Nikades."

"Don't be such a spoilsport, Crono," Lucca replied.

"This is serious Lucca!" Crono was now annoyed.

"All the more reason to try and lighten the mood. We can be serious when we face Nikades. This may be our last moment together; let's not part in apathy and such."

Crono shook his head in a mix of disgust and defeat. He kicked at a rock at his feet, "When do we leave?"

"Ayla no leave," Ayla said suddenly, "Must help other villagers."

"Yeah, Ayla. That would be best for your people," Crono said, "I'm sorry this had to happen to you."

"Ayla understand. Not your fault, anyway," Ayla shrugged.

Of course not, said a voice in Lucca's head, it's your fault little girl.

Lucca shook her head, trying to clear it as the laughing voice faded away.

Melchior looked at Lucca, "Something wrong?"

Lucca looked up quickly, remembering that people were noticing her movements, "Yeah, I'm fine," she said quickly.

For the moment only, said the voice in her head.

Lucca ignored it, but it ate at her sanity. The laughter continued, this time unabated.

"Bye all," Ayla said, waving as she stepped away and toward the remains of her village.

"Bye Ayla," Marle said.

The others waved bye, pairing it with their own voiced 'good-bye's'. Ayal turned to walk away.

"Are we ready to save the world?" Crono asked.

Marle finished his sentence, "-Yet again?"

"Why not?" Marshall asked, "Sounds like I could use a break from all of this fighting."

"Aren't you just the master of understatement," Cid said to Marshall, smiling.

"It keeps the others guessing as to what's on my mind." Marshall answered.

"Whenever there actually IS something on your mind," Cid said innocently.

"Are we gonna start that again?" Marshall asked.

"You've got your hobby, I've got mine," Cid said.

"If you say so," Marshall said, ending the conversation.

They stopped to notice that the others were all looking at them patiently. Melchior coughed.

"What?" Marshall asked.

"Right," Marle said, changing the topic, "What should we expect on the other side of that gate?"

"Dalton for one," Magus said.

"Nikades for another," Glenn said.

"With a whole icing of demons," Cid finished.

"And what does that entail us to do?" Marle continued, brushing some of her blonde hair out of her eyes.

"'Run like hell' pops into mind," Marshall said.

"Besides that," Marle said, not skipping a beat.

The others thought. Finally, Crono spoke up, "What CAN we do? We don't even know what time it leads to."

"I'll fix that," Lucca said.

She walked to the gate, inspecting it for a moment. Then she stuck her head into the gate.

"Lucca?" Marle asked uncertainly.

"I don't think she can hear you," Crono replied.

Lucca pulled her head back a moment later. She turned to the group, "I saw the shrine in Fiona's Forest. I guess that Nikades is in our time. But I don't know why."

"He wants that magic from the trees," Melchior said, "since he couldn't get the dreamstone."

"That little. . . ." Marle was suddenly seething.

"What?" Crono asked.

The others looked at Marle questioningly.

"Back before all of this happened, Pret was asking father for some of that forest. I guess this was why." Marle said.

"Although I seriously doubt Nikades told him the reason," Melchior said.

"Yeah, lackeys aren't usually told anything," Marshall said.

"Did you see anything?" Marle asked Lucca, "Demons, I mean."

Lucca shook her head, "None. I think Nikades is in the shrine."

"How's that?" Cid asked.

"It looked a lot like my house did when he was in it." Lucca finished.

"Then the demons shouldn't be a threat. We can take Nikades before he can fully gather his power," Crono said excitedly, "C'mon, if we hurry, we can-"

"You're in too much of a rush all of the time, Crono," Marle said, "Dalton is still there and the demons COULD be a threat. We don't know if Nikades is using them or not."

"But we just can't sit here," Glenn said.

"Right. But let's try and make this an orderly assault." Marle said.

"I can't shut it!" Dalton said furiously.

"They've gained control of it, guru," Nikades said calmly.

Dalton looked at Nikades, "Then what do we do? We can't beat them right now. We need a diversion. . .which would be too late, I might add."

"Isn't there anything left in you?" Nikades asked the shadow beside him.

Thatos looked at the wizard, "You don't expect me to take control of a dark bahamut and just walk away, do you?"

"No, probably not. But. . .I did expect you to kill them back at Guardia castle."

"You seem to forget who these people are Nikades," Thatos said warningly.

"I forget nothing, shadow king," Nikades said.

"Then don't forget another thing. We are in a coalition, not a master-slave group. You get what you want and I and my minions get free reign to this world. I am not your servant."

Nikades looked darkly at his partner. The sun hung high in the sky, indicating noon time. Yet the trees blocked out most of the light. The small beams that did penetrate the cover seemed to have no effect on the two, as if there was no light at all. Only the blue light from the gate illuminated them.

Earlier, the girl had peeked through the gate. She had been unable to see them due to their dark coverings. Dalton had been on the other side of a tree at the time, so she had not seen him either.

"A deal is a deal, and this deal's real," Nikades said, "if you don't betray me like that fool, Pret."

"I am nothing like a petty human, sorcerer." Thatos said hotly.

"Neither am I. Soon I will be far above these humans," Nikades said.

Dalton looked at the two for a moment, hoping that they didn't do any of said backstabbing right here and now. It was not the time.

Nikades turned from the others swiftly, striding toward the shrine. He spoke softly but clearly to the two behind him, "Delay them. I'll be there to help later."

Dalton nodded stiffly as Nikades entered the shrine. Delaying would be no problem.

The gate whirled briefly, then suddenly figures rapidly emerged from it. Armed and ready, they had reached Fiona's Forest.

Dalton, hidden in the shadows, smiled. They were entering his and Thatos's trap.

Then the group broke into a dead run toward the shrine. Dalton's smile faded as he saw his quarry escape, his plan fail, and his orders on the verge of being neglected.

"Halt!" he boomed, stepping out of his concealment. Time for another plan.

One of the group looked over his shoulders to see Dalton. "Keep going, we're almost there!" he yelled and turned away.

"Damnit," Dalton said, then faded away.

He reappeared in front of the charging group, standing between them and their target. "I said, 'halt!'" he repeated.

Marshall looked at the man as if he was joking, then he turned to the others, "Who wants the honors?"

"You aren't taking me seriously," Dalton continued, "that annoys me."

"Well, you're starting to annoy me as well," Marshall admitted, "Could you step out of the way before we hurt you?"

"Before or after you hurt me, what's the difference?" Dalton said.

Dalton nodded and Marshall was suddenly hurled from his feet. He landed painfully, ten feet from where he had been standing. Marshall quickly returned to his feet, cursing.

"Then let us fight," Glenn said.

The frog leapt forward, bringing his sword down at Dalton's head. Dalton faded away and reappeared clear of conflict. The door to the shrine shut, making sure they wouldn't use his absence to do a little 'breaking and entering'. Or 'entering and breaking' as was the case.

Glenn whirled to his left, where Dalton had reappeared. He prepared for his next attack. Though there was little light, the Masamune glowed brightly.

"I could do this all day, you know," Dalton said.

"Then we'll get you tomorrow," Marshall said, "You threw me down and I won't forget that."

Dalton waved his hand, sending a fireball at the large man. Marshall dove to the side, the energy flying past his evading form. Marshall struck the ground and rolled. He huffed fiercely, sending a cloud of dust to fly from the ground near his face. Then he was up again, "Won't forget that either."

Crono flanked Dalton, but the guru once again disappeared. He reappeared back at the door to the shrine, behind Glenn. Glenn whirled, swinging his sword, but Dalton ducked the waste high swing. Dalton straightened himself from his crouch, his fist rising high, striking Glenn in the jaw with a fierce uppercut.

Glenn collapsed, the sword clattering loudly as it flew from his hands. Dalton smiled at the offer of a weapon and he bent to pick up the Masamune.

As his hands were inches from the blade however, the Masamune suddenly shone white hot; the light blinding. Dalton shrunk back in pain.

"We'd prefer it if you went weapon shopping somewhere else," the voices drifted from nowhere, but it was obviously Masa and Mune.

Dalton grabbed his temples as the light drove him away. Then he screamed.

Dalton stumbled to his knees, his hands falling to the ground. His good eye glowed fiercely. Dalton slowly stood. He laughed again, as if nothing had happened. The group looked at him, knowing that he was indeed insane.

Lightning flew from him in all directions. It struck each and all of the group, sending them to the ground. Dalton continued to laugh, even as the electricity faded away.

"It has begun," Dalton said to the others lying on the ground, "You'd better enjoy the show because it's free."

"What are you talking about?" Marshall asked.

The group slowly stood up. The lightning had merely stunned them, no permanent damage had been done. However, it was all Dalton had left in him.

"He means we're too late," Melchior said slowly, letting his words seep in.

"There is not enough energy in this forest to duplicate such power! He can't!" Magus said in disbelief.

"No, there isn't, prophet. BUT, the power of the forest can be used to reach a much stronger magic," Dalton chuckled, "Witness the end of all, my friends."

"He's bluffing!" Crono said, "H-"

Then there was a surge of energy. The shrine seemed to glow with an arcane energy, the energy of the forest.

"Oh dear. . ." Marle said.

Then the shrine was blown away. A red half sphere of pure and whole energy surged and expanded from within where the shrine had once been. Wood, marble, and iron pieces flew in all directions; behind them, the energy pulse continued to expand.

From within the red vortex, Nikades could be seen. His arms were outstretched and his head tilted back as he chanted unknown verses. Untouched by the destruction.

The group stood fixated, unable to move as the sphere of energy reached and enveloped them.

However, instead of killing them, it seemed to nurture them. Feeding them its energies. Everyone felt a tingling as the energy surged around them. Then the red sphere reached the trees.

It seemed to seep into every tree it reached. It continued to expand until it had become part of every tree in the forest. Then it stopped and faded away. However, all of the trees continued to glow red with their new energy.

The energy seeped from the trees, seeming to flow away. It dropped, falling into the ground and flowing into it. The red energy left the trees void of magic, instead transferring it into the ground.

Nikades stopped and looked at the group. He smiled at them. They stared back, unable to speak from what had happened.

They were too late. But for what?

Dalton broke the silence, "Witness the beginning of the end of all, my friends," he repeated, "because you obviously won't survive to the end of the end of all."

A shriek erupted from the distance. Though it came from far, it was still loud. And very familiar.

"NO!" Crono yelled, "You can't!"

Far to the north, the town of Dorino witnessed its last moments. Then the ground broke and split out from under it.

Houses near the crack collapsed, the pieces from them scattered and slid down into the abyss that had appeared in the middle of town.

People ran into the streets, screaming in horror as the rift opened wider. Some lost their footing and fell in, yelling at their fate.

The famaliar shriek returned, much louder this time. It came from within the rift.

Something slowly emerged from the hole. All around him, houses and other buildings were collapsing among fleeing and screaming people.

"This isn't supposed to happen," Lucca said to herself, "It can't."

Cid looked at Lucca. He grabbed her numb shoulders, "Lucca, what the hell is that?!" he yelled.

"Cid. . .that. . .THAT is Lavos," she looked away from the destruction to look into his eyes, "What nearly destroyed the future."

Cid let go of her and stumbled back slightly, "That is Lavos?" he shook his head, "Oh God, we can't stop it, can we?"

"We did once, we should be able to again," Lucca said, unconvincingly.

Then suddenly, Lavos stopped. It seemed to turn, twisting in its hole. It turned to face the forest. The movement caused the rift to shift, more buildings came sliding into its abyss.

Nikades laughed, then he raised the sunstone and rainbow shell. "Good-bye my toys," he said in a sing-song voice.

Then he crushed the artifacts in his hands. Their magical essences flew from their broken containers, entering his body and mixing with him.

Nikades pointed at Lavos.

A sharp beam of light, pure black, flew from his outstretched hand. The energy crackled with its power as it arched toward the destroyer of the world. Lavos was miles away, yet he was visible from so far away, such was his size.

Lavos shrieked as he witnessed his fate steaking toward him. The beam struck the face of the monster, ending the shrieks. Lavos writhed in the grip of the magic, unable to free himself.

The beam still existed, one end attached to Lavos, the other fixated to the hand of Nikades.

A pulse of energy burst from the body of Lavos; Lavos' life essence.

The pulse trailed along the black beam, heading back toward Nikades. Nikades raised his other hand and invoked a spell.

He spoke the last of the spell at the moment the pulse struck him.

The group were all stunned, unable to move or say anything.

The world was awash with blackness. The only noise was Nikades' laughter.

The darkness washed over the group, giving blindness to them all.

But they could still hear. Nikades laughed at his near victory.


	36. Chapter 36

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 36

* * *

The bright light surrounding them finally abated. Tentatively, the group opened their eyes and viewed the world around them.

Fiona's Forest was gone. As was the rest of their world. Where they now stood was alien to each and every one of them. Nikades had used his magic to send them to a place of his choosings.

"Where are we?" Marle asked, her voice filled with awe.

There was nothing around them. Blackness stretched infinitely in all directions, including down. They stood upon something, but it wasn't there. Though it was blackness around them, it was not darkness. They were able to see everything even with the lack of light.

"Limbo, Queen Nadia," replied a voice, Dalton; he stated her title in a tone of sarcasm.

The effect was immediate. Swords were suddenly brought out in a display of menace toward the owner of that voice.

Dalton continued, "A time between times and a universe of nothing. Welcome to the End of Time of the 5th dimension."

Far in front of the group, Dalton appeared. He black cloak still clung around him, hiding his arms. His everpresent eyepatch adorned his eye.

"Are we dead?" Glenn asked fearfully.

Dalton laughed, "Not yet. Life in Limbo is far worse than death. Imagine how boring it gets here. Would you care to tell them, Thatos?"

Dalton turned to look at what was beside him. It was obviously a shadow, however it was completely invisible in the blackness that permeated all around them.

A voice came from the area around Dalton, "Long ago, Nikades was banished here. An accident of his own negligence toward his own pupils' powers. His powers gone, there was no way he could return to his world. However, he wasn't alone.

"Limbo is populated slightly by a group of 'demons', called shadows due to their appearance. Nikades was a quiet sort, though and didn't give us much of his time," Thatos laughed, then continued, "Now-"

"Why are you telling us this?" Marshall asked, ignoring Dalton's continuance.

"I was speaking at the time. Please don't... Oh yes, I guess you should know that," Thatos replied, "If I tell you what is going on, you will know the futileness in fighting Nikades.

"You will fight to the bitter end of course, unless you know it's hopeless. To get to Nikades, you have to get past me and Dalton. We won't survive a fight with you, I am powerless from taking that Bahamut earlier, and I don't have anything left to fight you with. Plus Dalton's a little wacked in the head."

"Hey!" Dalton said suddenly, aware he was being the target of an insult.

Thatos ignored his rough interruption, "Telling you Nikades's story will allow us to live. You will see that you can't win, hence you will quit."

"We'll see about that," Crono said in response.

Thatos was quiet for a moment, then decided to continue, "Where was I? Oh yes, Nikades was exiled to this dreary dimension, with no ability to return. Time doesn't exist in Limbo, people don't age here. Time doesn't pass. Nikades was forced to remain here in nothing for thousands of years, alone. I must say that he is very strong willed to have lasted that long without going insane...

"Then one day, a red gate opened up into limbo. The gate wasn't sturdy, it was incomplete in many ways; however, it would allow transport into another world. Naturally Nikades would want to use it.

"Limbo is, like I said, The End of Time for the 5th dimension. When a timegate doesn't work properly, it leads to the End of Time. When a rip in the 5th dimension occurs and it doesn't work properly, it leads to Limbo.

"Anyway, before he entered the gate, we shadows approached him and struck a deal.

"We would help him reach his goal and he would create a gate for us strong enough to support our 'energies'. He left and two months later, the gate opened. The invasion had begun. We were finally able to leave limbo."

Thatos paused to think.

"What is Nikades's goal?" Lucca asked.

Dalton looked at her, "Ah yes, you... Nikades goal, is it? It's quite simple actually, considering so much preparation has been put into it...

"Nikades wishes to exist in the 6th dimension."

"What?!" Lucca was slightly shocked.

"The 6th dimension is life and death. To exist in the 6th dimension, is to be immortal; beyond death. I don't know how he plans to do it, but he's gonna do it." Dalton said.

"You can't do that!" Lucca continued, "If you are born to exist in a certain dimension, you can't just 'switch'! It's impossible."

"Yeah, well we wanted to tell him that too," Thatos mused, "but since he was offering freedom, we decided to wait until later to break the bad news." Dalton said.

"You mean he can't. All this will be for nothing?" Marle asked.

"No, we were just kidding," Dalton said with a smirk, "Actually he can do it. He will do it. He probably already HAS done it. You see, we've successfully delayed you long enough for him to cast the spell.

"THAT is why your attempts are futile and you should leave now." Thatso said, triumphantly.

Dalton's smirk became a laugh.

"He'll destroy the world, you idiots! He'll destroy you!" Lucca suddenly yelled.

"No he won't. He has much more on his mind than to simply get all of that power, then simply destroy those that would worship him for it.

"You see, he'll become a god. A god to the people of all universes. ALL people." Dalton said, "He won't betray our contracts, anyway. He has honor."

"Honor? Like when he backstabbed Pret?" Marle shot back.

"Pret backstabbed him. Not the other way around. I was there. In fact, I was Nikades's solution..." Thatos said, "Trust me, me and my minion's will live."

"We have to stop him. I don't care about the honor of a man who destroys a world. Step back, Dalton, or you WILL die," Crono said, slinking forward toward the former guru, his sword held forward, "And you as well, Thatos. You have much to pay for as well."

"Then I will die. If it will mean the freeing of my 'people'." Dalton closed his eyes and bowed his head forward as if preparing for an execution. Then suddenly, he jerked about. Thatos was possessing him

Crono looked at him for a moment, then stepped back a step to join him friends.

"But I'm taking one of you with me." Dalton said, suddenly.

A black knife appeared in Dalton's hand. It was obviously a product of Thatos, its form was wavery, like a shadow. Dalton jumped forward, toward the backstepping Crono.

Crono raised his sword to swipe the knife away. However, his sword went right through the shadow knife, it was truly a shadow.

The knife struck Crono in the chest. However, Dalton had miscalculated and had struck with the blade vertical. The knife cut into Crono, then stopped as it hit the ribs, it wouldn't go any further.

Crono fell back, the knife falling and landing soundlessly onto the floor of limbo. Crono clutched his wound as he looked up at Dalton.

"You idiot," Thatos said to Dalton, "Do you even know how to use a knife?"

"I got a little excited," Dalton apologized.

Then he stalked toward the fallen Crono. The others ran toward Dalton, preparing to stop him. However, a shadowy wall formed around him and Crono, separating the two from the others.

Magus merely looked at the dome of shadows for a moment. Then he raised his hand. The shadow wall shattered like glass, revealing their target.

Dalton looked around him, noticing he wasn't protected, "Dammit, Thatos, protect me!"

The group mobbed him, they all had something against this man and his cohort. Dalton didn't stand a chance.

Marle bent to Crono quickly, "Are you okay?"

Crono nodded, "I've had worse... But help me up, I'm not done."

Marle looked concerned, but she decided that she would listen to him. She hoisted him up slowly and he limped over to Dalton.

A shadow was escaping the body.

Crono pointed at the shadow king and concentrated.

A bolt of white hot electricity burst from his hand, striking the monster. The shadow king suddenly stopped as the lightning caught him. It writhed screaming as it fought to free itself. However, any attempt was futile. Finally, the shadow evaporated into nothing.

Thatos was dead for good this time.

X

"We've got to hurry!" Lucca yelled, "Nikades is almost done!"

"Hurry where? I don't know which way is up, much less where that sorcerer is!" Marshall replied.

Lucca looked at the Marshall for a moment, then hung her head in defeat, "You're right. It's over, isn't it?"

"Not yet," Magus said, stepping forward and past Lucca.

"Where are you going?" Crono asked.

"To kill an enemy and end a threat," Magus said cryptically, continuing, "You may come if you wish."

"You know where he is?!" Crono asked.

Magus didn't reply. He kept walking toward an infinite horizon. The others looked at each other, then back at Magus. Finally, they ran after him, leaving the body of Dalton behind them.

X

Nikades stood before the finale of his dreams. A crystal altar, reflecting his visage on its surface, rested before him. It jutted out seven feet into the air from nothing. It was simply an altar, rectangle in shape with a top that formed a point.

But soon it would be much more than just an altar.

He reached out and ran his hand along its surface. Not cool, not warm. It had no degree of temperature emanating from it. Almost as if the nerves in his hand could no longer sense temperature.

But his nerves were okay. They were running on overdrive in the anticipation of his godhood. He slowly drew back his hand and smiled. Dalton and Thatos would only be able to stall for a moment. He would have to hurry.

Nikades reached out to the altar once more, this time with both hands. He grasped the crystal and closed his eyes.

Then he released the energies of Lavos, stolen from the monster and infused with Nikades own power. The energies were not released instantly, but in a controlled manner. Slowly they seeped into the altar, melding with it and forming the all powerfull spell he was about to cast.

Red tendrils of energy flowed from his fingers and seeped into the crystal. Lavos surely did not die in vain, Nikades thought to himself, smiling again.

"We made it!" he heard a voice behind him.

"Shhh!" said another.

"Stop, Nikades!" a third voice, Magus, shouted, "This will come to no good end!"

"Ha! You know nothing of what I am about to do. What would you know of what is 'good' for me to do and what is not?" Nikades replied.

"The others will destroy you! Do you not understand their jealousy of power? They won't allow you to become one like them," Melchior pressed.

Nikades heard a metallic noise behind him, Magus was releasing his scythe.

"Do you think me a fool, I know of their wrath. And I have prepared," Nikades replied.

He felt the sorcerer closing in on him, trying to stab him in the back. Nikades willed part of Lavos's energy to strike forth. The energy flew out of his back. He heard a grunt of pain a moment later, Magus was stalled for the moment.

He heard the ringing of steel echo in the void around him tenfold. The others had all deemed it wise to arm themselves. I must have angered the masses somehow, Nikades thought with a smile.

"Is this any way to treat a deity?" Nikades joked.

"You aren't a deity yet Nikades," Marle replied, "and you will never be."

The spell finished itself. Nikades smiled to himself, they were much too late. He concentrated on the spell and its effects began.

"You ARE too late," he boomed.

Glenn gasped and leapt ahead of the others, bounding over Magus's still form and toward the dark sorcerer.

Nikades and the altar were both engulfed in bright red light. They were unseeable, Glenn stopped and shielded his eyes. Nikades's laughter erupted above, below, and all around them.

It was no normal laugh. They listened to it intently, knowing that Nikades was venturing on the edge of sanity. The price of power always seemed to be one's mind.

Then the light died away to reveal Nikades. He stood encased inside the crystal of the altar. It had become his cocoon. He would enter a human. However, his metamorphosis would create a god.

His voice faded from the cocoon, "Three days from now, I will be much more than I or anyone else ever was. You will all bow to me to prevent your destruction. Three days form now I will be a god."

"No..." Lucca whispered.

Glenn ran forward and struck at the encasement. The magic sword-that had once split mountains-didn't even make a scratch. It bounced off of the mineral and flew to the side. Glenn corrected his stance, preparing for a reaction.

Nikades did nothing. He was now asleep in a form of hibernation. Unmolested from events of the outside. To return to the world only when he was ready.

"It's impregnable," Glenn said darkly, "Tis no way to get to him."

"Then what can we do?" Marle asked, hoping that they weren't out of options.

"Nothing. Nikades will slowly draw the powers to become the god he covets," Magus said, rising from the 'ground', "In three days he will have completed this absorption. Then the world will end."

"Who are the others?" Cid asked.

"Who?" Crono queried.

"The ones who will try to stop Nikades," Cid clarified.

"The other two gods," Melchior said, "but they won't be able to get to him until it's too late for even them."

"Then we have no hope?" Marshall asked, "Three days, then poof, we all die?"

"We will not simply die. We will simply cease to exist. Nikades will have control of life AND death. He will destroy the living and the dead. He will rip the fabric of time and the essence of the universe, destroying every trace of all existence until there is nothing but him." Magus replied, "Nothing else will survive."

"But... why?" Lucca asked in a frightened voice.

"He will then recreate the world. Making it in a form for himself, a world appropriate for him," Melchior said, "As a guru, he used to wonder what it would be like to have created the universe. I think he will now get that chance."

"Oh my God," Marle moaned in fear.

"And we can't stop him!?" Cid asked incredulously.

"If the other gods cannot, then how could we possibly do so?" Magus said.

'It's all your fault, Lucca', the familiar voice said in Lucca's head once more.

Lucca tried to ignore it, but knew it was right. She bent her head over and whimpered in despair.

"Lucca?" Cid asked tentatively.

Then the world around them started to waver and change.

Nikades was no longer awake, but his subconscious was always there. He was beginning to draw the energies needed to become a god and his subconscious was using those energies.

His mind was changing limbo into the visage of his kingdom. The darkness seemed to grow a life of its own. All around them, stone walls were appearing, dark in the lack of light.

A black castle was forming around them out of the ether.

"We have to get out of here!" Marshall yelled.

"But what about Nikades?!" Crono yelled back.

"He's not going anywhere, Crono! We have three days to make a plan before he wakes up! Let's live to make that plan!" Marshall yelled, running away from the altar and down the quickly forming stone halls.

The others quickly followed suit, Crono was lagging behind due to his wound however. Marle trailed back and grabbed his arm, pulling him along with her.

They left the area of Nikades, which had become a large auditorium style room, and entered a maze of hallways, half complete.

They reached an intersection where the hall split off left and right. Both paths were still forming, the halls appearing quickly away from them.

"Which way?!" Crono yelled over the noise of the magic being used.

"Left!" Marshall said, not breaking stride and continuing.

Lucca grabbed his cloak and stopped him, "No, right!" she said.

"How do you know?" Marshall said, offending that she would question his great guessing ability.

"This," she replied, showing him the gatekey she held.

"Fine, right it is!" he replied, turning and heading down the said corridor.

The castle's creation was complete. Then the monsters began to come into existance.

Plagiarized straight from the mind of Nikades, they were the most twisted and dark creatures he could manifest. They were beyond description, writhing and shrieking as the were given life. They had been formed from a mind of a half-god, a mind with no limits, and they were the most hideous things to ever tread the worlds.

They were created with instructions to destroy the ones who would attempt to stop Nikades.

The creatures shambled forth, hot on the trail of their prey; more were being created, each different from another, but each equally deadly and malicious. They continued to appear as Nikades was not yet finished.

Lucca ran ahead of Marshall, holding her gatekey in front of her like a compass. Its pull was still strong, they were going the right direction. She took another right and ran forward, the others behind her.

Also behind her were inhuman shrieks of evil and malevolence. She ran faster, trying to reach the gate before the monsters reached them.

Then she broke free of the castle. She looked around to see the creation of the wasteland world around the castle. It was a dark and foggy deadland. Gnarled trees dotted the area, most being concealed by the dark grey fog. Far above them, a pale sun shone on the lichen infested world.

Far ahead of them stood the gate. Not so far behind them, the howls of death continued.

Lucca was roughly pushed foward by Marshall, "Hurry! Ladies first and all that, but if you stall any longer, I'm gonna break tradition."

Lucca nodded and ran forward toward the gate. The voice echoed once again in her head, 'All you know will soon look like this. The people-friends and family-will have to exist in a world like this. They will blame you, Lucca, for it is your fault.'

Lucca roughly shook her head and continued. She would stop this. It was her fault this would happen, then it would be her that stopped it.

She reached the gate and looked back for the others. They were quickly sprinting along the dead earth toward the gate she stood before. Beyond them stood the castle, wavering in the dark world with the power that resided inside it.

Shadows seemed to seep out of the castle's entrance, the monsters were exiting. Lucca knew that viewing of these creatures would drive her insane. She turned from the land she created and jumped into the gate, followed by the others.

The red gate closed, leaving Nikades and his dread creations to their own devices.


	37. Chapter 37

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 37

* * *

Lucca peered around her, half-conscious as to what was occurring. The red weaves of the world between worlds flashed by her as she was hurled toward her own universe.

This was all her fault.

The blackness flickered in the distance, then rushed to meet her; she was thrown into her world.

This wasn't the death of a kingdom or the death of a race. It was not the death of a planet or even a universe that was at stake. It was the complete erasure of all existance. A complete and utter erasure, leaving no existance at all for the world's past, present, or future.

And it was all her fault.

Light surrounded her and she found herself standing in her front yard, beside the gatekeeper. It was early morning, the sun hiding partially over the eastern seas. But Lucca didn't notice any of this.

She must make ammends for she had wronged all life.

"Does anyone else know why we aren't standing in a forest by a shrine?" Cid asked suddenly, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Beats me," Marshall said, "I really don't think that forest is there anymore though. I'd be just as happy here, if not more."

The others shrugged.

"It was them," Glenn said cryptically.

"It was who?" Crono asked.

Glenn indicated his sword, "They ordered the gate to transport us here."

Crono nodded thoughtfully, "Ahhh... and why?"

Glenn shook his head, "I do not know."

"The gatekeeper," Magus said.

"Yeah, I guess that would be a reason," Marshall said, "We'll need a way back to limbo so we can watch the last moments of our life unwind."

There was something gruff in his voice, indicating that he was not joking. No one made a remark in response.

Lucca turned from the sun and walked toward her house.

"Where're you going, Lucca?" Marle asked.

Lucca said nothing. She opened the door to her house and entered, shutting the door behind her. A few seconds later, there was another door shutting. The door to her room.

"I hope she's all right," Crono said regretfully.

"Me too," Cid replied.

Marle shook her head, "She's been acting weird ever since she was poisoned a while back."

"Not weird, Marle, just distant. Not her usual talkative self we all know and love." Crono said.

"Do you think the poison did anything to her?" Cid asked fearfully.

Marshall grunted, "No. The poison's gone. Whatever's eating at her is something else."

"Can you be so sure the poison's gone?" Marle asked.

Marshall looked at Marle for a moment, the responded, "Listen girl, I know my work. That's not the kind of poison to cause brain damage... Especially if it never reached her brain in the first place-"

Marle started to sputter angrily, "...G-Girl?! Girl?!"

Marshall purposefully looked her in the eye, "Are you finally going to return to that 'hate the bounty hunter' thing, now?"

Marle shook for a moment in anger, unable to move. Then she abated, "Sorry. I guess you do know your work fairly well."

He nodded, "No problem," he said. Then he turned and walked toward the house.

"Let's say we get in here before we starve to death!" he said over his shoulder.

X

"Is there any hope of stopping him at all?" Marle asked from the chair she sat in.

They were all now gathered in the main room of Lucca's house. All except for Lucca. She had locked herself into her room and refused to talk. However, they could hear noises emitting from beyond the locked door.

"There has to be," Marshall replied around a sandwich he was eating, "A person just can't destroy the world without any challenges. If there wasn't any of those, someone else would have already done so."

"He's coming pretty close right now," Cid pointed out, hands gesturing as he spoke.

"Shut up, Cid. We didn't need to hear that," Marshall said, swallowing and taking another bite from his meal.

"Do you ever get full?" Crono asked the giant.

"Don't get sarcastic on me, I'm a big man with a big appetite. I haven't exactly been able to find any veritable banquets out here recently." Marshall said, obviously hurt.

"Three days," Marle whispered to herself.

"That's not a hell of a lot of time to plot out a way to kill an indestructible foe, is it?" Marshall responded.

"I doubt we could come up with something in a year... if we had that long," Crono said, he looked at Magus, "Magus, do you have anything to add?"

"There is no way. We will all cease to exist in three days. If I were you, I would be enjoying my last moments in existance." Magus replied.

Cid nodded slowly, then said sarcastically, "Ok, thanks. If you have anything else uplifting to say, just keep it to yourself."

Magus looked at Cid from his spot in the corner, then turned and headed toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Crono asked.

Magus left the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Everyone seems to be leaving without a word," Marshall mused.

"Gee, thanks Cid," Crono muttered.

"He would be of no help anyway. He had given in to dispair," Glenn pointed out.

"Maybe," Crono said, unpersuaded, "or maybe's he's just holding out on us."

"I guess it's just the six of us that'll have to figure out what to do. How about you, Melchior? Do you have any idea of how we can break down Nikades's defenses?" Marle asked.

"It would take a while of thinking, I've never really been presented with a problem of this caliber before," Melchior replied solemnly.

The group brainstormed.

X

Magus stood on the coast east of the house. The sun was higher now, the sunrise having disappeared hours ago. The day was a quarter complete.

Magus shook his head. Time was passing so quickly now that every second counted.

Magus thought about that word, grasping it. There was something about 'time' that was important.

_There was so little of it._

No that wasn't it. Magus pounded his brain for answers.

Then it struck him. He turned from the view and bounded toward the house in an excited state unnatural for him.

X

"So we can't think of anything at all?" Cid asked.

"If we can't get to him, then how can we stop him?" Marle asked, "I don't know how to remove that crystal shield either. He is untouchable right up to the moment he is invincible."

"Maybe-" Crono began.

The door burst open and Magus stormed in. The door swung on its hinge, striking the wall and rebounding back to its closed position. Magus walked into the room, the door shutting itself behind him with its momentum.

"I've got it," Magus exclaimed, very unlike his stoic self.

"You do?!" Cid asked, "What? How?"

"All dimensions run at a different time speed, correct?" Magus asked.

"Umm... Lucca's the expert on that," Crono said.

Magus continued, ignoring the answer to his rhetorical question, "We learned from that shadow that time in Limbo doesn't exist, or that it doesn't pass. So that means that while he is in Limbo, his actions make no mark in any other world, whether it be now, three days from now, or thirty years in the future."

Melchior shook him head, "With the power Nikades now controls, he can change the passage of time in Limbo just like he changed the environment. He will be a god in three days."

Magus went quiet. His plan was ruined.

"If that is so," Crono said, suddenly fearful, "he could change the time rate to make it so that 3 days in Limbo would be 3 seconds in our world, couldn't he?"

Melchior shook his head, "If he accelerates time too much, then his spell will become unstable and destroy limbo AND him. He'll have to keep it at a constant rate. My guess is that he will keep it at a time speed that he is familiar with; our timerate."

"Sounds almost plausible," Cid said, "maybe we could goad him into accelerating time too much. Then he would destroy himself for us."

"Fat chance on that," Marle said, "I doubt he would spend several millenia thinking up this foolproof plan, and then ruin in it a rush of machoism."

"Machoism? What an interesting concept," Crono mused, grinning slightly.

"Can a god be killed?" Glenn asked.

"A person who exists in the 6th dimension, or a god as you are saying, exists in life and death at the same time. He cannot be killed because he is already above the frailties of mortality."

"Then can he be contained?" Glenn pressed, with an idea forming in his amphibious brain.

"...I don't know," Melchior said, grudgingly, "What are you getting at?"

"Is there any way we can seal him in that crystal altar permanently?" Glenn queried, the idea coming into focus in his head, "I mean if it can keep the other gods out, it can certainly keep a single god, him trapped inside."

"Maybe," Melchior said, a gleam of hope shimmering from his once dreary face, "Maybe!"

"Is it agreed then?" Marle asked the group, "Will we work on a way of sealing that usurper back in that altar?"

They looked back. They were such a small group, it was a wonder that they could make any kind of difference in this large world.

But they had. They were still able to. And they would continue.

They would make sure that the future was there for them to live in.

"Agreed," the others said.

X

Melchior left later that day. He returned to his house, though it wasn't there anymore. He said that he would need some of his stuff to work out a plan or spell that would seal away Nikades.

The others agreed and wished him well.

X

"So three days from now, we try and take out Nikades," Marshall mused, "That gives us some time to enjoy our possible last moments."

"We can't go into town, it's probably still overrun with demons," Marle said, "We're stuck here."

"Yeah, Nikades really tore this world apart, didn't he? Guardia castle is destroyed. Half of Truce plus all of Medina was razed. Dorino was destroyed by Lavos. Ioko village is badly damaged," Crono said quietly.

"Fiona's forest is also hurt, possibly gone," Marle replied.

"Yeah. The only time zone he didn't hurt was Zeal. And that was what we would have suspected him to go after in the first place," Crono said.

"What more could he do to them?" Magus asked.

Silence came over them. There wasn't anything left to say. Somewhere above them, footsteps occurred. Lucca continued whatever she was doing.

"What about Lucca?" Marshall asked.

"What do you mean?" Crono asked.

"Does she come with us?" Marshall pressed.

"It's all up to her, I guess," Crono shrugged.

"I wonder if that innkeeper is okay..." Marshall mused suddenly.

"Who?" Marle asked.

"The innkeeper in Dorino. The one that helped us treat Lucca when she was poisoned. He was most likely in Dorino when that happened." Marshall said.

"There's no way to know," Cid said, "I'm sure he did, though. His inn was right on the edge of town."

Marshall nodded, "Yeah..."

Crono stood up suddenly, "I'm going into town."

"But the demons," Marle said, reminding him.

"I'm sure they don't want to draw attention to themselves. As long as I stay in the open, they won't attack me. If they do, they'd be mobbed by citizens." Crono said.

"I'll go with you then," Marle said, also standing.

Crono thought about it, then replied, "Sure."

"Where are we heading?" Marle asked curiously.

"My house," Crono replied.

"Ah," Marle said nodding.

"When will you be back?" Marshall asked curiously.

"Tomorrow sometime, I guess. Don't worry, I know how much time is left: Today, tomorrow, and the day after. The day after the day after tomorrow is when we go. See you later." Crono said, waving as he went to the door.

"Bye, you two," Marshall said waving lazily back at them.

Marshall leaned back in his chair, the wood creaking under him. The door shut, signalling the exit of Crono and Marle, "Well, I guess it's just you, me, and Magus over there, huh, Cid?"

"Yeah," Cid replied, looking over at where Magus was.

Or had been. Magus had again left silently.

"He's gone Marshall," Cid pointed out.

"Nonsense," Marshall replied, taking a look for himself, "He was just-"

Marshall brought his hand down onto the arm of his chair moderately hard.

"Damn, I hate it when he does stuff like that." Marshall swore.

X

Crono and Marle walked across the bridge quietly, both using silence as a means to clear their thoughts. So much had happened to them, they needed some time to clear their heads.

Marle finally spoke up, "Crono?"

"Yes?" Crono replied.

"I've been thinking about this... and I think it's time I told you something." she said.

Crono didn't reply, he continued to walk beside her, listening.

"I did at first hate Marshall, but now that I've gotten to know who he really is and why he does what he does, I can't hold what happened against him any longer."

"What happened?" Crono asked.

"I'm getting there," Marle replied, "Let me collect my thoughts..."

Marle started the story, "About 15 or so years ago, my family was at a high point of its power. My parents co-ruled together and I was their symbol that their rule would continue for the next generation.

"However, there was some dissention as there always was. Bandits tended to roam the road between Truce and Guardia castle. Such bandits were there when my mother was taking a carriage trip to Truce.

"The bandits captured her and killed her guard. They stole her off to the cathedral and demanded ransom from the king.

"My father paid in exchange that she be released. But she remained their captive. They stated that they wanted more and that this time they would REALLY release her. The king knew they were lying so he hired someone to infiltrate the cathedral and retake the queen.

"Even then, the Marshall was the best around. He was sent in to do that job. However, something went wrong. A trap was set. The Marshall fought through the trap and stormed into the cathedral intent on getting the queen.

"Something happened inside the cathedral, but I don't know exactly what. My mother was injured and the cathedral was set afire. The Marshall carried her out of the church, collapsing from the smoke just ouside.

"The guards found him and her later. They also found the bodies of close to fifty bandits who had all died by sword wounds. The Marshall had killed them to a man. Only one soldier had survived on his side. However, that soldier didn't see what went on in the cathedral. What he saw was that one of our own men had betrayed the rescue party and signaled the ambush. The traitor that set the trap was one of the first to die at least.

"Mother was taken to the castle for medical treatment. She died shortly after.

"The Marshall was blamed for the incident. However, upon the careful pleading of that lone surviving soldier, my father dropped the charges. He knew all that had happened was the fault of the traitor. I didn't forgive him however.

"Until now."

Crono nodded slowly, choosing his words carefully, "So the Marshall HAS indeed failed once."

"Yes," Marle replied sadly, "It just happened to be that certain assignment, too."

"I'm sorry," Crono said.

Marle nodded, "Don't worry... It's in the past."

They were both quiet for a moment. The town was appearing over the horizon, they were almost there.

Finally, Marle spoke up again, "But my father's death is not. And Nikades will certainly pay for what he did."


	38. Chapter 38

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 38

* * *

Magus stood before the gate he had recently erected. It's blue light shone brightly on him, clashing with the dark colors he wore.

What had been said earlier had given him discomfort. Nikades couldn't be able to control time that easily. Not yet. There was only one way he could do so and that was where Magus was heading.

The End of Time was home to Gaspar, Guru of Time. If Nikades wanted the power to warp time before his godhood, he would need something from him.

Magus was also tense about something else that had been said earlier. That the Time of Zeal was the only time zone unaffected by Nikades's attack. The End of Time might not be there anymore.

Magus shoved the thought out of his head and stepped into the gate. Blue light swirled around him as he was thrown into a place where time no longer existed.

Moments later, he landed in a land of pure blackness. Magus looked around wildly. This was more than he had expected.

Everything was gone. Gaspar, Spekkio, and, more importantly, the rooms and the timegates within them. Magus stumbled forward, looking for a trace of some existance. There was nothing. Only him and the gate.

Then he spotted something on the ground. It was white, though it shone with a blue tint in the gate's light. Magus bent over and looked at it.

It was a Chrono Trigger, a time egg. Gaspar had left it behind for them, possibly.

Even then, he knew what was going on.

However, it wasn't going to be enough to beat Nikades. Gaspar must have left it for another reason.

But what?

Magus placed the Chrono Trigger into his pocket and turned to the gate. Gaspar would no longer be able to help them. They were alone now.

More alone than when they had fought Lavos. And this time they were fighting something much more powerful. Something that had shirked the live from Lavos as though you were taking something from a small child.

Magus entered the gate. After his departure, the gate obediently shut behind him.

X

"That noise is going to drive me insane!" Marshall roared as Lucca's activities began again.

Above them descended the steady thump of a hammer beating into something. Lucca had been at whatever she was doing for close to seven hours now. Without any breaks as far as he could tell.

Cid peered up at the ceiling and replied, "I wish I knew what she was doing..."

"I wish I knew what she was THINKING," Marshall replied, "I hope she hasn't gone crazy."

Cid shook his head, "She's too level headed to lose her mind."

Marshall laughed darkly, "It doesn't take much to lose your mind, no matter what defenses you have against it."

"You an expert on what it's like to be insane?" Cid joked. "No, no, no... well, maybe." Marshall chuckled.

Cid looked away from the ceiling and stood up out of the chair he was sitting in, "I'm bored. Badly."

"Me too... I think I'll go out for a while and cause 'mischief' in the town." Marshall replied innocently.

"You aren't gonna cause trouble are you?" Cid asked apprehensively.

"Oh no. Just 'mischief'." Marshall said with a smile, "I'm bored, not angry."

"Fine go ahead, just as long as you don't cause 'trouble'. I think I'll take a rest." Cid replied, stretching before taking Marshall's spot on the couch, which was much softer than the wooden chair he had been sitting in earlier.

"With THAT noise?" Marshall asked, "Good luck."

In response, Cid snored.

"Don't be sarcastic, Cid," Marshall chided.

"Okay," Cid said, "Bye Marshall. Have fun causing trouble."

"'Mischief', not trouble. There IS a difference." Marshall said, hurt.

"I know. Anytime you cause mischief, it becomes trouble fairly quick." Cid said.

"Care to give an example?" Marshall asked.

In response, Cid snored again.

"Thought so," Marshall replied, "Bye, little guy."

Cid stopped snoring and his head snapped up, "Little guy?!" but the door shut before he could finish, cutting him off from Marshall.

Cid snorted, "Little guy," he said to himself, "Hmph."

Moments later, Cid's breathing became rhythmic once more. However, he was really asleep this time.

X

It was three o'clock when Cid awoke to the sound of footsteps. He opened his eyes and turned to the stairway, where the sound was coming from.

Cid at first thought that someone had returned while he was asleep and had went to check on Lucca. However, that died when he realized that he hadn't been asleep long enough for that. He then realized that the noise upstairs had abated.

Lucca appeared at the bottom of the stairway, turning and walking into the main room he was seated at. She was still dressed as she normally was, dark orange shirt with brown shorts and shoes. She yawned as she stepped into the room.

"Hi, Cid. Where is everyone?" she asked.

"They're all gone off somewhere else," Cid replied, wondering why she was acting so normal after spending so much time retreated into herself.

She nodded, "Ah."

"What were you doing up there?" Cid asked finally.

"Oh, this and that." she replied evasively.

"As in?" Cid pressed, he repositioned himself on the couch, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees.

"Nothing important," she said, keeping the charade, "I'm going to Leene Square in a few minutes, would you like to come with me and talk?"

Cid decided that if she didn't want to talk about what she had been doing, then she didn't have to, "Sure, I'd love to."

Lucca pushed her glasses up her nose bridge, "Okay, let me get something to eat and we can leave."

She turned to go, then turned back, "Do you want anything?"

"Ummm... sure. I'll take a sandwich or something." Cid replied.

Lucca nodded and went into her kitchen.

The door shut behind her and Cid looked up at the ceiling, wondering if she had locked her door behind her. He finally decided not to snoop around in her stuff. If she didn't want to tell him, she didn't have to.

And she was bound to tell him later.

Cid stood up and stretched as Lucca reentered with a bag of food for them.

"All set. Let's go, Cid," she said.

X

"This is Nadia's Bell," Lucca said, indicating the said bell, "It was named after Nadia, or Marle."

Cid nodded, already accustomed to the idea of keeping company with royalty. He peered at the two year old memorial. It was quite new, there were as of yet no signs of overuse or any other damage. It would be here for years to come; if they succeeded.

Cid had told Lucca of their plan during the trip to Leene Square. She had merely nodded in response, digesting what was to happen. When Cid had questioned if she could think of anything better, she merely shrugged and changed the subject.

"They ring it every morning to awaken the citizens. It sounds pretty good, though I live too far away to hear it," Lucca continued.

"And your father built it?" Cid asked.

Lucca recieved a pained expression on her face for a moment, but cleared it up and replied, "Yeah. Taban."

"Taban..." Cid mused, "I've heard that name before, I'm sure of it... Maybe it was from the history books at school. He surely left some imprint in history."

"Maybe..." Lucca said, turning from the bell and heading ahead to where her teleporters once lay years ago.

Cid followed her, "What's up here?"

"Nothing now. But it was where Marle was thrown back in time to start our fight against Lavos a long time ago. The teleporters are gone now, moved back to my house and collecting dust."

"This is where it all began?" Cid asked amazed as he walked into the empty clearing.

"Yeah." Lucca replied, not knowing what else to say.

Cid peered at the ground around him, "Where's the gate?"

"It's gone. When Lavos was killed, most gates closed down. Only a few of the newer ones remained." Lucca said.

"Like the one in my time," Cid pointed out.

"And the one in Magus's castle," Lucca finished.

Cid nodded, remembering. He looked up at the sky, it was getting dark. Only two more free days left as soon as this day finished. Then what would become of them on that fateful day that came after those two?

"Are we going to live?" Cid asked her suddenly.

The question was vague, but Lucca knew what he was talking about, "I hope so. If... your plan works, then we shouldn't have any problems concerning ceasing to exist or anything like that."

"We don't have much time left," Cid whispered quietly, then said aloud, "I'm glad I met you all before all of this happened."

"It was more like 'during' all of this was happening," Lucca pointed out, then replied, "I'm glad I was able to meet with you, too, Cid."

"Too bad I never got to learn about the technology in this time like I had originally planned. Things got way out of hand before I could begin to study," Cid laughed.

Lucca laughed back, "Out of hand? I'm surprised things weren't lost completely considering all that's been happening."

They walked back into the main square and Lucca sat down on one of the benches. Cid sat down beside her. They sat together in silence for several minutes, staring at the dimming light.

Something was tugging at the back of Cid's mind, however. He grasped the thought and suddenly remembered what Crono and Marle had said earlier.

The town was infested with demons. It was safe during the day, when people were about, but night was something altogether different.

"Damn," he muttered.

"What?" Lucca asked him, turning from her view of the stars to peer at him.

"We're in trouble. This town has a lot of demons still in it. It isn't safe at night, when the real people are asleep. We've-" Cid said, but stopped.

At the entrance to the square was movement. It was too dark to see who they were, but Cid counted around ten of them. They appeared human at first, however there was a sharp red tint from their eyes, indicating that they were indeed demons. Also they moved with agility impossible for a human.

"Too late," Cid swore.

He stood, wishing he hadn't left his weapon back at Lucca's house. However, Lucca wasn't as forgetful. She stood up from her seat beside Cid and pulled out what appeared to be a bulky piston.

The demons saw the sudden movement and charged. They molded from their human shapes as they galloped toward the two.

Then there was a brief flash of light and the gun Lucca held jerked back. A ball of light tore from the gun's nozzle and flew into the nearest demon, throwing it back to land on the ground unmoving.

"Whoa," Cid said excitedly.

Lucca pulled the trigger once more and another ball of light blasted yet another demon, "You said it," she said, concentrating.

After the demons lost two more of their compatriots in a matter of three seconds, they stopped and turned. They were no longer human in form but the common doglike monsters that had plagued the group for so long. They howled in distress and bounded away, leaving Cid and Lucca alone once more.

"What is that?" Cid asked in awe of the newest toy.

"I'll explain on the way," Lucca said, holstering the weapon in her belt and grabbing his hand to pull him along, "We need to get out of town."

"I know that," Cid replied, then apologized, "Sorry I forgot about the demons."

"It's all right, Cid. I forgot as much as you did." Lucca replied, "No one was hurt."

Cid stepped over one of the smoldering carcasses of the demons, "Well, no one 'human' was hurt."

Lucca smiled mischieviously at him, "Right. Besides, you were saying yourself, you wanted to see some of this time's technology."

Cid smiled with her for a moment, then Cid remembered something else, "What about Crono and Marle?" his smile faded away.

"They'll be okay. They have a house to sleep in. We need to get out of town quickly before more of them come." Lucca pointed out.

Cid didn't argue her logic, "Then you can tell me about your gun on the way."

They left the square and entered the north part of town, not breaking stride. Lucca told him about her gun as they crossed the town.

They weren't attacked the rest of the way to her house.

X

"Allen, it was probably just lightning."

"There aren't any clouds out, Rena," Allen replied, "I know I saw light."

Allen crossed the street and entered the square. Rena followed, trying to stop him. Then suddenly, he stopped and peered down at the ground.

It was dark, but he could clearly see the smoking carcass of a monster.

"What is it, Allen?" Rena asked curiously.

"Let's get back in the house, honey." Allen said, slowly backing up, "We can check it out in the morning."

"But-" Rena objected.

"Don't question, just go."

They both ran back to their house, afraid that there was something still out there.

However, the night remained quiet.

X

After the sudden destruction of Guardia Castle, the chancellor had named himself ruler of Guardia until order could be returned and a new king selected.

The people were still shocked over what had happened, but they obeyed his move, some applauding his bold move to keep order. Anarchy had been avoided and that was something to cheer.

However, when the bodies of five demons were found lying in Leene's Square, panic returned. And not even the chancellor could stop it.

Melchior had been right after all, the townsmen thought. They were being invaded by demons.


	39. Chapter 39

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 39

* * *

Cid pushed through the front door to Lucca's house. Lucca followed behind him, shutting the door behind her. Cid looked around the main room, spotting Magus sitting in the chair. Magus looked back at him for a second, then looked away, concentrating on whatever he had been doing before the two had entered.

"I see you've decided to return," Cid said, sitting in another chair by the door.

Lucca looked out the window at the inky blackness that surrounded them. It was still night. A little past midnight, in fact. She shook her head, the first day had gone by so fast.

Tomorrow would prove no slower in all likelihood, as would the day after. But the third could become the longest day in all of their lives.

Magus made no reply to Cid's abruptness. He continued to keep his concentration on matters more important to him. Cid sighed and leaned his head back, preparing to fall asleep where he sat.

"Hey boy, that's my seat!"

Cid jerked aright at the sudden voice so close to him. He snapped his head to the side and saw Marshall standing beside where he sat.

"Oh, sorry," Cid apologized, sitting up and walking over to the couch to sit.

"No need," Marshall said and sat in Cid's earlier position of residence. The wooden chair creaked under his weight.

"Where have you been?" Cid asked.

Marshall coughed loudly, "In the kitchen," he replied.

Cid glared at Marshall, "...And before that?"

"Oh. Well, why didn't you ask that first?" Marshall asked innocently, then continued as Cid opened his mouth to say something in response, "Here and there."

Cid removed his glasses with one hand and massaged his temples with his other, "Marshall, I'm tired. I've got a headache. I'm not in a good mood. Get to the damn point."

Lucca walked over and sat on the couch by Cid as he replaced his glasses. They both looked at Marshall inquiringly.

"Boy are you ever nosy," Marshall accused, "Why are you in such a bad mood, as you put it?"

"Quit changing the subject," Cid said.

Lucca cut in, "We ran into a small group of demons at Leene Square."

"Oh. Was anybody hurt?" Marshall inquired, happy to have successfully 'changed the subject'.

"We're both here. Judge for yourself," Lucca replied.

Marshall nodded slowly, "Oh, so it was just you two, eh?" he winked at Cid.

"Stow it," Cid said, not bothering to say anything, "Thing is, there are now four or five dead demons lying right in the middle of Leene Square. Seeing as how they aren't very likely to get up and move, I'd say we have a matter of just a few hours before someone happens to notice that the cobblestones are starting to get a little thicker."

"Well, why didn't YOU move them?" Marshall asked.

"There are now five dead demons. We were attacked by nine or so of them," Lucca replied, "Do the math-if you can count that high-and you'll discover that four other demons are out running around telling friends that there are a couple of people who really need to die right now. We didn't necessarily have time to drag five dead bodies through the streets of Truce to find a hiding spot. People are suspicious of that sort of thing for some reason or other."

"You don't have to be so insulting," Marshall replied, holding his hands up, palms out, in front of him. He returned his hands to his lap, "What do you think the populace is going to do when they find the demons?"

"Probably go into a frenzy. Form lynch mobs and all of that stuff. One of Guardia's favorite pasttimes." Lucca said, pushing her glasses back up her nose.

"Maybe we should have warned Crono after all," Cid said as an afterthought.

"Crono's lived here all of his life. The people won't lynch him as a demon." Lucca stated.

"If they'll throw him in jail and attempt to have him executed..." Marshall left it hanging.

"That was a mistake," Lucca said.

"Oh yeah. Berzerk lynch mobs frothing at the mouth in anticipation of spilling demon blood don't make mistakes," Cid stated sarcastically, "I almost forgot about that. Thanks for clearing that up."

"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it, Cid," Lucca declared hotly.

"Ok, fine," Cid conceeded, "If you think they'll be all right, I believe you."

"They will," Magus said, startling everyone.

"Where's Glenn?" Cid asked suddenly.

Marshall shrugged, "Off to the lilypad or something?"

Cid started to laugh, but managed to stifle it, "Not hardly."

"Why didn't you ever lift his curse," Marshall asked Magus.

"What?" Magus asked, irritantly.

"You put the curse on him, I thought that-"

"You thought wrong." Magus replied, finishing the conversation.

"How will it wear off?" Marshall pressed.

"If I die." Magus replied.

"...Oh." Marshall replied after a while, "In that case, he'll be a frog for quite some time won't he? So if you leave unexpectedly again, and Glenn suddenly turns back into a human some odd hours later, we shouldn't be expecting you home for dinner?"

Magus remained silent.

Marshall shrugged, then turned to the other two, "Speaking of dinner, any of you kids hungry?"

They both shook their heads.

"I'm going to sleep then," Marshall replied stretching.

"Do you need a blanket or-" Lucca began.

Marshall was already asleep. The chair creaked under his heavy breathing. Cid smiled and shook his head.

So much for the bigger they are, the harder they fall-asleep.

"Are you tired, Cid?" Lucca asked him, standing and stretching.

"No, I think tonight's endeavors have given me a bit of one-night insomnia." Cid replied sleepily.

"Well, I'm off to bed. If you get hungry, there's some food in the kitchen and if your insomnia wears off," she gave a look at Marshall, "Just lounge anywhere, I guess."

Cid nodded and yawned. He shook his head violently, trying to remove his tiredness.

Lucca walked toward the stairs leading to her room, "Good night, Cid."

"Good-" he yawned again, "night, Lucca."

"Good night, Magus," she said as she started climbing the stairs.

Magus looked up from where he sat and glanced at her, "We'll see," he replied and returned to his thoughts.

Lucca stopped for a moment, "Pessimist," she mumbled and continued.

Magus seemed to ignore her, but Cid could hear him reply quietly, "Optimist."

Cid smiled, trying not to laugh. Magus wasn't as inhuman as everyone else thought. He tried to hide it, like he hid his emotions and past.

XXXXX

Cid must have fallen asleep because he suddenly found himself being shaken awake by Marshall. Cid sat up slowly, "What is it?"

"We have company," Marshall said quietly.

Cid looked around the dark room, "How do you know?"

Then there was a loud banging on the door. It wasn't a knock. Someone was attacking the house. Or something.

"Intuition?" Marshall guessed.

"Maybe it's Crono or Marle knocking," Cid pressed.

There was an inhuman shriek and the door shook violently under an impact from whatever was outside of the door. The thump reverberated throughout the house noisily.

Marshall turned to Cid and arched an eyebrow, "If that's Crono or Marle, I'd say that they have some serious problems. AND that they should work those problems through outside."

"Then what is it?" Cid continued.

"I thought you already knew," Marshall replied.

Another thump echoed through the house as the thing on the other side struck the door once more. Cid looked at the door for a brief moment to check its secureness, the turned back to Marshall.

"This isn't time for a guessing game," Cid said impatiently.

"The demons followed us here," Lucca said from behind Cid, startling him.

Cid whirled at the voice, then calmed, "Oh. Sorry, Lucca. I-"

The door cracked slightly as another jarring impact occurred. The demon shrieked in mindless rage once more.

"Cid?" Lucca asked, "Could you let me through for a second?"

Cid stepped to the side and Lucca walked past him to the door. She hefted her blaster, which Cid hadn't noticed a second ago, and breathed in and out quickly.

Then she suddenly wrenched open the door and pointed the gun out the opening, firing three times in quick succession. There was the sound of an impact, then the sound of something striking the ground.

Lucca quickly stepped to the side as the dead body of one of the four-legged demons slid into the door and across the room, its legs and tail splayed haphazardly all around it. It struck the wall with a thud and stopped.

It had been charging the door, when the door had suddenly been flung open. However, even after being shot, the demon had fallen and crossed the distance with its momentum, though it was dead.

Lucca quickly shut the door and patted Cid on the shoulder, "Thanks."

"Are there any more?" Marshall asked.

"Around three, I'd say," she replied calmly, "I'm going back to sleep."

"And the other demons?" Marshall pressed.

"The other three are running away," she said, not breaking stride in her path toward the stairs.

She walked past the demon, not paying it any attention. As she started stepping up the stairs however, she turned to the other two people, "Besides, Magus is taking care of them."

Cid and Marshall quickly looked to where Magus had been, but was now not. To punctuate her words, there was a sudden burst of light from outside and another demon shrieked.

"Good night, you two," Lucca said, and disappeared up the stairs.

XXXXX

Glenn returned the next morning.

Glenn shut the door behind him and stepped into the room. It was still early morning, so he wasn't surprised to find Cid and Marshall asleep, Magus missing, and a dead demon piled up against the far wall...

Glenn looked back at the wall and the demon ornamenting it. Now that he thought about it, there was something strange about this. Glenn drew the Masamune and slowly walked over to the sleeping duo. He hoped that they were asleep and not dead. He had a sudden fear that demons had attacked and killed all of his friends.

Glenn went to Cid and shook him softly, trying to wake him. Cid mumbled and groaned, finally opening his eyes and looking above him.

Cid saw something inhuman, standing above him and holding a sword at him. Cid yelled and fell out of his chair he had been sleeping in. He fell to the floor less than gracefully.

Marshall jumped awake at the yell and looked over at Glenn and Cid. "Something wrong?" he asked, not one to be so easily startled.

Cid looked back up at the amphibian and shook his head roughly, trying to clear it, "Sorry, Glenn. Didn't know it was you."

"It is all right," Glenn replied, "Would someone mind telling me what THAT is doing in the house?" he asked, pointing his sword at the dead demon.

"Well," Marshall said, "We figured it was going to be a long winter, so we went out and killed something to store. However, we couldn't fit it inside of Lucca's refridgerator, so we were going to-"

"Quit joking around Marshall," Cid said, cutting off the bounty hunter in midsentence, "It attacked the house so Lucca killed it, Glenn."

Glenn looked at Marshall for a few seconds, then turned to Cid and nodded. "Be there any more?"

"Magus got the rest," Cid replied, shaking his head.

"Where is Magus anyway?" Marshall asked, "Surely he's done hunting down demons now."

"It doesn't really matter where he is, anyway," Cid pointed out, "He'll show up when we are ready to go back to Nikades."

"I guess so..." Marshall said, then changed the subject, "So Glenn! Where have you been?"

"I went to the Cursed Woods. I found them to be no longer occupied by frogs and I also found that my home is gone."

"400 years can do that, I hear," Marshall mused humorously.

"What time is it?" Cid asked suddenly, "I'm hungry for breakfast."

They went to the kitchen and ate. Lucca awoke an hour later and she too ate. They talked and joked together and the day went by with no event.

Even with the threat of Nikades, they managed to have a great day and enjoy their possible last moments with ease. Night soon reached them and they each grudgingly went to bed.

There were now two days left.


	40. Chapter 40

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS  
by  
Jerm

Chapter 40

* * *

"What are you doing?" Marshall asked Lucca.

They, along with Glenn and Cid were standing outside in front of the gatekeeper. It was early morning, and Lucca was tinkering with her machine for some reason she kept to herself.

"I'm seeing if the demons did anything to it when they were knocking on our door. It wouldn't do us any good if we went to see Nikades, and ended up someplace we really didn't need to be at the time."

Marshall scratched the back of his neck and made no reply. He looked off to the east, shading his eyes from the rising sun. Finally, he spoke, "Twenty-four hours from now, we'll be right here, doing close to the same thing."

"If it bothers you, don't think about it," Lucca replied, not looking up.

"It doesn't bother me... It worries me," he answered.

"I know this is a dumb question," Cid cut in, "but does anyone know where Magus is?"

"Off somewhere else, I'd assume," Marshall replied.

Cid glared at him, "I-"

Marshall shrugged, "Dumb question gets a dumb answer."

Glenn walked away from the other, going around the house. Cid looked after him a moment before asking, "What's wrong?"

Glenn shook his head, "Nothing, I would think. I believe that that is Marle and Crono walking this way."

"'Bout time," Marshall grunted, "At least they're safe."

Cid wandered over beside Glenn, looking to the north at the bridge. Two figures were walking toward them. However, he couldn't make them out, "Are you sure it's them. I can't see that far."

"You must be going blind, Cid," Marshall said, suddenly beside him, "I can see them fine from here."

Cid took off his glasses and polished them on his shirt. He replaced them and peered forth once more, but with the same results.

"Oh, I see them," he lied.

"Good boy," Marshall said, "Let's go greet them."

However, when they reached the two, Crono was less than cordial, "I would say that someone here's been busy."

"What do you mean?" Marshall asked innocently.

"The natives are in a frenzy right now. It seems that they found several dead demons lying up in Leene Square," Crono replied.

"Oops," Cid said quietly.

Crono looked over at Cid and raised an eyebrow, "You wouldn't have anything to do with it, would you, Cid?"

"What happened?" Cid asked.

"Oh, nothing. Several people came to my house and tried to 'arrest' me and Marle. Apparently we were demons. Anyway, I persuaded them to go away and bug someone else."

Marshall chuckled, "Persuaded?"

"Oh it gets better," Marle spoke up.

"That's right," Crono said, "They have Magus for close to the same reason."

XXXXX

"How could they get HIM of all people?" Lucca asked as they trekked across the bridge back toward Truce.

"Ask him," Crono shrugged, "I doubt, though, that he allowed them to capture him. Of course, I could be wrong."

"Maybe he didn't have any energy to fight them," Marle said.

"No, he was using it fairly well when he was disabling the rest of the demons at the house," Cid said.

"What were you doing in Leene Square of all places?" Crono asked Lucca.

"Just taking a walk and reliving memories," Lucca said.

"With Cid if I recall," Crono pressed.

"Yeah, so?" Lucca replied defiantly.

Crono winked at Cid.

"I wish you people would quit that," Cid said suddenly, "We had a walk and talked; it's not like we did anything unethical up there."

"You did sort of kill five demons. Murder is unethical if I-" Crono began.

Cid glared him down.

"Sorry," Crono said.

"No problem," Cid answered, turning back to the path in front of him.

"Well, actually," Marle said, "There is the problem of getting Magus out. Any suggestions, plans, or wild ideas?"

"Yeah, Lucca," Crono said, "Got a Plan... what letter were we on?"

"I think 'G'," Lucca said, "Or maybe 'F' or 'H'. Anyway, no. I don't have one yet."

Marshall glanced at them.

Crono flashed him a quick smile, "Just a way of keeping track."

"Of course," Marshall said.

"You all do know we don't have much time to pull this off, don't you?" Marle said.

"We have plenty to run in, grab Magus, and run out, don't we?" Lucca asked.

"Maybe," Marle said.

"Pessimist," Lucca said.

"Maybe," Marle repeated.

"Are you going to say that word over and over again?" Lucca asked.

"..." Marle looked at Lucca with an evil grin, "Maybe."

Lucca wisely remained silent.

"I think I have a plan that'll work," Cid said suddenly.

The others looked at him inquiringly.

"At least I hope," he finished.

XXXXX

Magus slumped forward, unconscious. He was bound to a pole, cords of rope wound about him and the pole, ensnaring him. Around him were several angry and frightened people.

The people looked at him in fear. All except one, at least. That one person, obviously the leader of this mob looked at Magus with a look of something unreadable.

The man was slightly tall, around six feet and had red hair and a beard. There was a flinty look in his brown eyes and those eyes were directed deep into Magus's soul.

Looking at Magus, the man saw power so strong, it was almost a visible aura. He would do nicely, the man thought to himself.

"Hey!" yelled a voice suddenly.

The people all turned to look at the newcomer. It was a swordwielding frog. Since a swordwielding frog isn't something you see everyday, the people gave out an understandable reaction.

"Demon!" they shouted.

The red haired man looked at the newcomer, "Get him! It is a demon and the safety of your city and families depend on its death!"

The peole howled with sadistic glee and ran after Glenn, with full intention of fulfilling the orders.

Glenn waved his sword about one more time before sheathing it and turning to run away from the advancing people. Being a frog, he could carry distance faster than the humans after him, so he had to run slowly to allow them to keep up.

The redhaired man smiled, this was a much better opportunity than he was planning. He turned to Magus and reached out his hand.

Then the red haired man's eyes changed to black. It slowly began to lose its form as it began its self appointed task. The shadow smiled to itself at the power it was about to take over.

"Stop!" it was another voice.

Bastion turned toward the voice to find five figures facing him. He laughed at them, they were too far away. He reached once more toward Magus.

Then there was a whizzing noise and Bastion suddenly felt pain as the crossbow bolt flew into the side of its head, imbedding itself halfway.

Bastion stumbled to the side from the impact and fell to its knees. He twitched his head it a spasmed jerk and the crossbow bolt snapped, the half protruding from his head fell to the ground. A second later, Bastion spit out the second half.

"Damn, it's that stupid shadow again," Marshall swore, recognizing the black eyes.

Bastion stood slowly, "I am not Thatos. He is quite truly dead. However, I and more like me are still alive. I would assume you are the destroyers of him. In that case, I will surely enjoy destroying you."

Bastion shook the pain away and walked toward the group. When he was beside Magus, however, he stopped.

"Make the first move, murderers." he taunted.

Lucca and Marle both aimed their weapons at him, preparing to fire. Marshall wished he had another crossbow, but simply sighed and drew his sword; as did Crono and Cid.

The shadow smirked. Then he reached to the side and grabbed Magus's head. The body of Magus jerked for a second, then stopped.

There was a flash of light as Lucca fired her gun. Marle also fired.

"No!" the red haired man yelled as his fate advanced.

The two missiles struck him in the chest at the same time. He was thrown far into the air, to land on his back, dead.

"Are you ok, Magus?" Cid asked.

"He's unconscious, you wafer," Lucca said.

"Not... quite," Magus said, opening his eyes.

XXXXX

Glenn decided that the others had had enough time to get Magus out of harms way. He decided to lose the mob behind him.

Turning tightly to the right, he cut into an alley way, finally emergin from the back of the houses, running toward the ocean that presented itself before him. Behind him, the mob howled in fury as they continued the chase.

Then Glenn was there. He bent and jumped off of the bluff standing over the waters, performing a dive to a place no man would follow.

XXXXX

"Are you okay, Magus?" Cid asked uncertainly.

"...Yeah, no problem," Magus replied, coughing slightly.

"At least untie him before you start asking questions," Marle said, looking at the rope around Magus's hands.

Crono, however, was looking at Magus's face intently, "'Yeah, no problem'?"

"Yes," Magus replied, "I am okay."

"Fine," Crono said, but he was suspicious.

He thought back to when the red haired man had died. There had been a sudden look of fear in the man's eyes. As though he didn't know what was going on...

"Let's go, Crono. We have to go find Glenn," Marle said, breaking his thoughts.

"Ok, one moment," Crono replied.

And just moments before, the man had had a look of accomplishment. Why would he change expressions? Unless the shadow's plan was to fake his death...

"Are you coming?" Lucca queried.

"In a moment," Crono replied impatiently.

Shadows were able to turn people into their hosts. To possess them and move on when another was wanted. How long did it take to possess people, anyway?

"Crono, we really don't have a-" Lucca began.

Crono broke from his thoughts with a jerk and pushed Lucca out of his way, drawing his sword.

"Hey!" Lucca said, as she was set aside.

Crono ignored her and stalked straight to the blue haired man in front of him. He grabbed Magus by the back of his cloak with his free hand and roughly drew the wizard aside, slamming him against a house.

"What are you doing, Crono?!" Marle asked, enraged.

Crono waved his sword in Magus's face, "You're a shadow, aren't you? Let him go or I'll kill you both!"

"I don't know what you're-" Magus pleaded.

"Shut up and let him go!" Crono continued.

"Crono, aren't you jumping to conclusions?" Cid asked.

"I've thought things through," Crono said, "That man was under the control of a shadow and now it has Magus. That's why the man was surprised when we killed him!"

"You're insane, boy," Magus said.

"Maybe," Crono said, "But you're too dead to care."

Crono ignored the sudden yells by his friends and swung his sword at Magus's neck.

A black form shot out of the body and struck Crono. The boy was thrown to the ground, his sword clattering on the ground.

A shadowy creature was writhing outside of Magus's body. It hissed for a moment, then reentered the wizard. Magus tried to fight it for a moment, but he was still too weak to fight. The possession was recompleted moments later.

"Get him, now!" Crono yelled, struggling to his feet.

There was a ringing noise and Crono looked up to see Magus's scythe arching toward his head. He forgot about standing and simply rolled to the side. The blade missed him by a second, imbedding itself into the ground.

"You can't fight me," the shadow was speaking, "You cannot defeat this man even without the fact that you would not dare kill an ally. He is much too strong. 400 years ago, Magus was the most powerful wizard in the world. Some things never change."

Magus raised his hand and lightning snaked from it, seeming to wrap itself around Marshall. The large man went into spasms as he was electrocuted. Then the lightning stopped, and he dropped to the ground.

Crono stood up and ran toward his sword. Before he could reach it, though, it flew from the ground to hover in the air, dancing about Crono. Then it struck him.

Crono was surprised, but he managed to turn slightly, so the blade cut his shoulder and not into his heart. He grabbed his arm in pain and stumbled away, trying to avoid the blade's next swipe.

Magus laughed, enjoying these games very much. Then he turned to the others who were advancing on him. He picked one at random and waved his hand.

Lucca was suddenly encased in an ice prison. Unable to move, she peered out of her 'cell' in helpless submission.

As his attention was diverted however, Crono managed to get his sword out of the air and was now stalking toward the wizard with murderous intent.

Crono suddenly found it hard to hold onto his sword, however. Magus regained control of it and it began attempts at hacking at its owner. Crono threw the sword away and grasped the new wound it had opened up in his leg.

Magus brought his scythe up to prevent the first attack, sent by Cid. He brought the butt of the scythe up to strike Cid in the jaw. He then sent a bolt of electricity toward Marle.

Suddenly, Glenn was there. He had evaded his pursuers and had returned to witness the betrayal.

Glenn raised the Masamune up and it seemed to invite the energies into it. The blade had actually prevented the magic, sucking it in like a vacuum. Magus realized what was going on too late.

Glenn swung the Masamune hard and struck Magus in the head with the flat of the blade. Magus crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"A debt is owed to a friend, but now is not the time to pay it," Glenn said to the unconscious opponent.

A shadow erupted from Magus, shrieking in anger. Then it fled the area, leaving the group.

"Apparently, we have a problem," Marle said quietly.

"What's that?" Lucca asked, "Besides the fact that demons are running rampant, the people are in a lynching frenzy, the kingdom is in anarchy, and all existence will cease in 2 days?"

Marle glared at Lucca, "After we beat Nikades, how will we be able to get rid of these shadow demons? They have been set free for the first time in millions of years. I don't think any world is prepared for them."

"That's IF we beat Nikades," Crono said, reminding her of the odds of the situation.

"Which have just been dropped," Cid pointed out, "We now lack Magus and Marshall."

"Marshall," Crono said, remembering, "Is he alive?"

"Yeah, but he's out cold. He's about in the same condition as Magus. Without those two, we've lost a big fighting force." Lucca said.

"We don't need a fighting force, though," Crono said, "If our plan works, all we need to do is seal Nikades before he wakes."

"We still need to get past his minions, Crono," Marle pointed out.

"May we return to Lucca's house?" Glenn asked, "I have but only recently escaped my pursurers, but they will return here nonetheless."

"Good idea," Marle said, nodding.

"Ummm, one second," Cid said.

The others turned to him. "What is it?" Crono asked, impatiently.

"How are we going to get Marshall there? I really doubt he wants to be dragged." Cid said, actually able to control his smile this time.


	41. Chapter 41

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS

by

Jerm

Chapter 41

* * *

They finally decided to 'borrow' a two wheeled cart from one of the empty houses. The house's occupants were out carrying on the good deeds of a lynch mob, so they wouldn't miss it for a while. Even so, Cid pointed out that they should find some way to return it. Witnesses could point them out to the people when questioned. 

The others agreed and proceeded to pile Marshall and Magus into the cart. Marshall was a bit of a problem, however. His legs hung over the edge and dragged on the ground as they pulled the cart. It couldn't be help, so they ignored it as best they could.

They reached Lucca's house a few hours later, it was now midafternoon. They hid the cart inside of Lucca's house, and deposited the two unconscious beings in each of the two beds in the house. Magus was placed in Lucca's bed, because Marshall couldn't even begin to fit on it.

After the two were taken care of, the others went back downstairs to the main room.

Glenn continued, however, walking out the door and going outside. No one questioned why and the door shut behind him.

"Tomorrow's the day, isn't it?" Cid asked as he sat down in the wooden chair by the front door.

"Yeah," Crono nodded, "Doesn't give us much room, does it?"

"I'm glad I'm not claustrophobic, because it isn't giving us an inch of room," Lucca said, with a smile.

Crono sat down on the right side of the couch, "It's almost good to see you have your sense of humor back, Lucca. Just one thing: Puns aren't funny."

"Sure they are, Crono, you're just not sophisticated enough to understand them," Lucca pointed out.

"I see your cutting remarks have returned as well," Crono said, then replied, "Fine. I should never have known to match wits with the brainiac."

"Why Crono, is that a compliment?" Lucca asked, feigning surprise.

Crono glanced at her, "Shut up."

Cid grinned, "I'm sure THAT wasn't."

Marle returned from the kitchen with a glass of water. She sat down next to Crono and tried to figure out where the conversation was.

"You don't know me well enough, apparently, Cid," Crono replied, "That's as close to a compliment you'll ever hear from me."

"Apparently," Lucca said as she went to her kitchen to get a drink as well.

"See?" Crono asked Cid, "Even she agrees with me and she's know me her whole life."

"How long HAVE you known Lucca?" Marle asked, finally getting a chance to join into the conversation.

"I don't remember now," Crono said grudgingly, "It must be around 15 years or so."

"That's almost your whole life," Cid pointed out.

"I'm not exactly a doddering old fool yet, Cid," Crono replied.

"Yeah, yeah," Cid replied, looking outside through the window for a moment, wondering if he should add, 'Just doddering'; instead he said, "It must be around four o'clock by now."

"By the way," Crono said suddenly, "I've been meaning to find out at what time will Nikades awaken tomorrow?"

"I was guessing about the same time he went to sleep," Marle replied, rocking in her seat slightly, "Melchior knows, and as long as he doesn't come running into the house screaming about the end of the world due to his being late, we shouldn't worry."

Lucca returned from the kitchen with her drink. She walked into the room and sat down in a chair, facing across from Crono and Marle.

"So Cid," Crono said, drawing the former engineer's attention, "What's your past like?"

Cid shook his head, "Nothing special. Just drudging day to day things."

"Won't they miss you back where you work?" Lucca asked, "You've been gone a long time now."

"I doubt it," Cid replied, "I could fall over dead in the halls, and they would simply get the janitor to clean it up."

"You're exaggerating," Marle said, "I'm sure that you weren't that inconspicuous."

"It's not that, it's just that..." Cid tried to find a word, "I'm just a kid over there. Someone to do all of the work that the 'adults' wouldn't touch."

"Ouch," Crono said, "It was that tough?"

"Probably tougher," Cid said, continuing, "I had no family, and I left all of my friends to get that job. I was alone in a hostile environment."

"You aren't alone in being alone, Cid," Marle said, "I've lost my family, Marshall lost his family, and Magus's family is... missing."

Lucca was about to add something, then shut her mouth and continued to listen, taking a drink of her water.

"Yeah," Cid agreed, "but I've always felt that I don't belong in my time. I mean, everyone else is so closed minded and only think about getting their next paycheck. I always wanted to live in a land of magic and possibilities. But there was no room for that in this world, it was a world of sciences and impossibilities."

"The only reason this world has magic," Lucca explained, "is because of Lavos. He gave it out freely to the people of Zeal so that they might power him even greater in the end. Sort of like collecting interest at a bank. However, the magic lasted several centuries afterward, only slowly dying away. In our time, magic only existed in a select handful. Finally it died out completely close to your time. People grasped onto science to fill in the gap."

"I know," Cid agreed, "but I would have killed to be born with magic."

"As grand as it sounds, Cid," Lucca continued, "Magic is a destructive force. Lavos, Nikades, Zeal, and... Magus are all examples of what happens when you acquire too much."

"Power corrupts even the nicest of people," Crono added.

Then the door was thrown open, revealing Glenn. The others turned quickly to see what the commotion was. Glenn walked inside.

"Melchior is returning," he said, indicating outside.

"Good," Crono said, "Let's hope he got what he needed."

-----

"What's that?" Marle asked, as Melchior pulled a strange looking amulet from his pocket.

"It's a pendant made from dreamstone," Melchior explained as he set it on a table, "Not as pure as yours, Nadia, but it will serve the needed purpose.

"What IS its purpose?" Crono asked.

"It should provide enough energy for the spell to be cast. The spell should seal Nikades permanently. Of course, I'm not strong enough to cast it even with the pendant."

Melchior looked around casually, "We'll need Magus. Where is he, by the way?"

The others were silent. Melchior looked at them hard, wondering what they were hiding, "He isn't dead, is he?" Melchior asked tentatively.

"No no no no," Marle replied quickly, shaking her head fervently.

Melchior took a deep breath and exhaled quickly, glad for the news, "Good."

"He's in a coma, though," Cid added helpfully.

Melchior looked at him for a second, the information registering slowly, then he nodded slowly as he spoke, "A coma?"

"It's not a coma. He's just unconscious," Lucca added, "He should recover over the night..."

"What's been going on?" Melchior finally asked.

"You wanna sit down for this one?" Crono asked indicating the chair beside him.

-----

"So the shadows are already showing activity in our world," Melchior said thoughtfully, stroking his chin.

"Yeah, one tried to get Magus. It said that he was the most powerful being in this dimension," Crono said.

"The most powerful human,"Melchior corrected, "He is hardly the strongest 'being' in this world."

Then Melchior added, "So you then decided to put him into unconsciousness to get at the shadow?" he looked at Crono pointedly.

"Don't look at me," Crono said defensively, holding his hands up; then pointing at Glenn, "He was the one who hit him."

"I thank you for that, Crono," Glenn said sarcastically.

Melchior changed directions, "Well, I guess that was the best that could be done with such short notice, it was a much better choice than killing him."

-----

Marshall opened his eyes. The movement caused slight pain, but he ignored it. His whole body was stiff. He needed to move about to loosen the tension.

He sat up in bed and attempted to stand... only to fall onto the ground, his legs giving out and going numb. He struck the floor with a deep thud, shaking the room slightly. He groaned as the pain increased from his movements.

Marshall slowly dragged himself back up to the bed with his arms, wondering how this had happened. Then it struck him. The lightning had hit him dead center and he had blacked out.

That would explain the numbness and stiffness. His muscles must have tensed up fiercely when he went into those spasms of electrocution. He bent his fingers into a fist, hearing and feeling the bones pop and snap as they were moved for the first time in half a day.

There was a commotion at the door and Marshall looked up to see it open to reveal the others. He smiled at them and waved, the waving caused his elbow to pop loudly, and he flinched.

"You sound like an old man," Crono said as he entered the room.

"You would actually tell me that and stand within fifty feet of me? You MUST be insane," Marshall joked back, popping his back.

"Are you ok?" Marle asked, filing in behind Lucca and Glenn, "We thought the bed might have finally given way under you."

"Did you enjoy your session of shock therapy?" Cid added.

"'Yes' to Marle and 'no' to Cid," Marshall said, then added a moment later, "whatever the hell shock therapy is."

Cid started to explain, but Lucca cut him off, "Don't bother."

"Thanks," Marshall said, his legs creaked as he bent and massaged them.

"Do you think you can walk anytime soon?" Cid asked, then added, fiendishly, "Though not as stealthily, from what I hear."

"If I'm the object of another joke, I'm going to 'snap' the teller," Marshall said, emphasizing the word 'snap' by popping his neck, "And I can probably be up and running in a few minutes."

"Ok, we'll meet you downstairs then," Lucca said, turning to go.

Marshall was about to say 'bye', when he remembered something, "What happened to Magus?"

"He's ok," Crono said, "just unconscious."

"Oh, so being unconscious is okay, is it?" Marshall asked, standing, which caused his legs to pop again.

"As long as you don't snore," Crono finished, leaving the room and heading downstairs.

-----

Marshall was alone again. He looked around thoughtfully, his neck creaking slightly. He hoped he could get his body back into functioning order soon.

He hobbled over to the door and pushed it open to let him through. Then stopped to think for a moment, "I wonder if unconscious people really do snore."

He shook his head and headed downstairs to join the others.

"War plans?" Cid asked, incredulously, "Isn't that a little flashy for what we are really going to be doing?"

The group were all seated in the main room, discussing what was to be done about the denizens that Nikades had created.

"Plans are plans, Cid," Marle defended herself, "Now let's create some."

"How can we prepare for these things? We haven't even seen them," Cid continued.

"Cid's right," Lucca added, "We don't know their weaknesses-if they even have any-or their strengths."

"Do unconscious people snore?" Marshall piped in suddenly.

"What?" Marle asked, unsure she had heard him right.

Crono started snickering like a kid and the others glared at the interruption. Marshall shrugged and looked at Crono, "He put it in my head."

"I think they would, since they are sleeping," Cid said.

"Not sleeping, but unconscious," Marshall pressed.

"They're the same--" Cid began.

"Aren't we getting off track?" Marle broke in.

"From what? We can't do anything about a foe we don't know anything about. We'll have to make it up as we go along," Lucca said.

"She is right," Glenn added, then said, "Sadly enough."

"Our only plan is to make sure that Magus can get to Nikades in one piece... AND be able to cast the spell." Crono finished.

Marle sighed, "Okay, so we don't have much to go on, do we?"

"When have we ever?" Melchior asked, though it was a rhetorical question.

"It's getting very late," Lucca said suddenly, looking outside.

It was dark outside, around seven o'clock. That wasn't really very late, but they needed to wake up early tomorrow to get ready and make sure that Magus was in top performance.

"I'm going to sleep now," Lucca finished, heading off to her room.

The others agreed and each went to their regular sleeping area. They said good night to each other before falling asleep.

Tomorrow was going to be the longest day the world had ever faced.


	42. Chapter 42

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS

by

Jerm

Chapter 42

* * *

Crono awoke slowly. He squinted his eyes, the sun was shining through the window right to him. He berated his luck and stood up stretching. Everyone else that was present was still asleep. Missing was Lucca. 

Crono stepped over Cid and Marle as he waded his way to the door. A little fresh air would help him wake up. He opened the door and stepped into the halflight of morning. Shutting the door behind him quietly, he looked around, finally spotting Lucca sitting on the eastern edge of the island, her body silouetted against the sunrise.

He walked toward her. she was merely sitting, legs folded in front of her, and staring at the waters. She was dressed as she always was, tan shirt and leggings. Large glasses adorned her face like a mask.

"Up early, aren't you?" Crono asked her.

Lucca didn't turn, but continued to stare out at the ocean. Crono thought for a moment that she hadn't heard her childhood friend and started to ask again. However, she answered him, cutting off his second greeting, "I can't sleep."

"Are you anxious about today's events?" Crono pressed carefully.

"No, I keep having ni--yeah, anxiety." Lucca replied unsteadily.

She shifted her weight slightly, pulling her legs out from under her and stretching them out in front of her. She placed her hands on the ground behind her and leaned back, sighing quietly.

"What's wrong?" Crono continued.

"...Nothing," Lucca replied, then turned to him, "Come sit down, Crono, you look too tired to stand."

Crono shuffled forward and sat beside her, looking at the ocean. It was indeed a peaceful view. No wonder Lucca hadn't turned away when talking to him.

"I used to be so optimistic about this adventure, I thought everything was going to end up good and fine in the end," Lucca spoke suddenly, "I mean, we beat Lavos and anything else would be child's play. But anyway I think about this, it all turns to: I'm going to die."

"We're not going to die, Lucca," Crono said, patting her shoulder, "Melchior says he has a foolproof plan at his disposal. It should work, he's a guru and he knows his magic."

Lucca looked down to the grass beside her. One hand raised up and absently ran through her hair. "I trust Melchior's judgement, too, but I don't think we can stop something this big, this strong."

"We've stopped something like this before--" Crono began, trying to calm Lucca down.

"But nothing this BIG, Crono. You saw how Nikades just bled the life from Lavos like drinking water out of a glass. And now he is much more powerful, he has the infinite strength of a god. You can't STOP something like that, it's impossible. Something must be done, and I'm afraid I'm..." Lucca trailed off.

"Lucca, you're not going to die. No one's going to die," Crono continued, "Nikades is asleep, he can't do anything about what we are doing. We WILL stop him."

Lucca removed her glasses and set them on the grass beside her before turning back to viewing the ocean. She sighed again, as if berating Crono's foolishness.

"This thing is all my fault," she said simply.

Crono tried to argue, but she cut him off, "I built that stupid gatekeeper. If I hadn't been so shortsighted as to forsee that kind of mistake, none of this would happen. And because it's my fault this began, I'm going to make sure it's my fault it stops!"

Lucca suddenly stood up and stormed off, leaving Crono confused behind her. Looking down, Crono also noticed that she had left her glasses behind as well. Crono didn't understand what was going on in his old friend's mind. She wouldn't open up the way she used to.

For one reason or another, Crono was afraid for his friend.

He picked up her glasses and put them in his pocket.

-----

"Hey, Lucca!" Cid yelled as he saw Lucca walking toward the house.

He was standing at the front door, having just stepped out. He saw Lucca walking his way, Crono was cut off from his view. He waved to her, but she didn't wave back.

"Lucca?" he asked as she moved within ten feet of him.

She ignored him.

"Is something wrong?" he continued, turning and walking with her as she passed him.

Lucca suddenly turned to him, "Why is everyone worried about me? Nothing is wrong, yet everyone seems to thing so! Why?"

Cid stepped back a pace, trying to think of what would make her so angry. "I-I'm sorry, it's just that you weren't answering me... and that you're glasses were missing."

Lucca felt up her face, noticing for the first time that she wasn't wearing her glasses. Where had she taken them off? Lucca shrugged and dropped her hand, "I don't know. I'm just... anxious."

Cid nodded as she continued walking, he paced by her, "Me too. I'm sorry if I upset you, I didn't know it would."

"It's okay," Lucca said, a moment later, "I'm sorry."

"No problem," Cid answered, glad that the misunderstanding was over.

Then he decided to change the subject, "You look good without your glasses," he said.

Lucca looked at him for a moment, then smiled, "Thanks."

"Not that you don't look good WITH them, Cid corrected himself, shaking his head slightly.

"Tell me, Cid," Lucca said suddenly, "What will you do when all of this is over? Do you plan to return to your time?"

"Not to my time, no," Cid said, "Remember, there's no one I know there. I think I'll stay in this time, get to know the technology and magic a little better. Maybe learn about some of the things you've made."

Lucca looked down to the ground, a look of slight dispair on her face, "Are you sure?"

Cid was puzzled by this sudden empathy, he wondered if it was something he said, "Yes, I'm sure."

"Okay, but I doubt it'll be the same as you picture it," Lucca said, though it wasn't a threat.

"It couldn't be worse than what I was living in," Cid replied.

"I'm sorry if your past wasn't entirely good," Lucca said, "There had to be some good in it though, didn't there?"

"If there had been, I wouldn't remember. The corporate world isn't something for a kid... or anybody. It turns a man's principles to dust and blows them away. He just wants to get ahead and become rich," Cid replied, "I'm best off without it. I'd rather live here in the simple life of medieval times."

"Medieval?" Lucca asked.

"The time of kings," Cid said, "That's what we call it in the future."

"Oh," Lucca nodded.

"My past is in the future, and my future is in the past... Pretty neat actually," Cid mumbled, suddenly.

They reached the cliffs of the island, the sun at their backs. Lucca turned to Cid after a moment.

"I'll miss you when all of this is over," she said quietly.

"I said I was staying in this time, surely you'll see me every now and then," Cid said, taken aback.

"No, I mean... it's just that... why is my life so confusing?" Lucca responded.

Then she kissed him.

Cid was shocked for a moment, then returned the kiss. Everything was fading from his mind, but he didnt' care. This was his moment of happiness and he didn't care if it was the only lasting moment of his life.

Or if it was simply the last moment of his life.

_Thank you, Lucca,_ he thought, _for being the one true friend of my life._

_----- _

"Are you up?" said a voice in Marle's ear.

She was now awake, but she didn't want to open her eyes. Sleep sounded so good. She didn't want to carry on the activities that today would bring.

Then she felt a slight jolt on her leg. Then another, "Wake up, Marle!" said a voice as the impacts continued.

"Ouch!" Marle said, "I'm awake, quit kicking me!"

Crono stopped and smiled at her as she opened her eyes, "Sorry, that's the best way to wake someone though."

Marle stood, "If you say so. But I was already awake."

Marle looked around and noticed that everyone else was awake. Some were still in the room, but Cid, Lucca, and Magus were nowhere in sight. Magus, of course was still in Lucca's room.

Is Magus awake, yet?" Marle asked Crono.

Crono shrugged, "I don't know. Haven't checked."

"I'll do it," Marshall volunteered.

The large man lumbered up the stairs and into the room, leaving the others to wonder how the wizard was faring.

"What time is it?" Marle asked, stretching and looking out the window.

"I'd say around nine o'clock or so. Probably a little earlier," Melchior said.

The sunrise was almost dead, though it still showed in a few places. Pink was rapidly fading into the the white and blue of a new day. Possibly the last day.

"So early..." Marle mumbled to herself.

"We're leaving in an hour, so I thought this would be enough time for everyone to get themselves ready," Melchior explained.

Marshall returned, "Good news and bad news everybody!"

"Good?" Crono asked.

"Magus is half awake right now. Should be up in a few minutes and back to his old cranky self in an hour or so."

The others waited for a moment. Finally, when Marshall didn't add anything, Glenn spoke up, "And?"

"And what?" Marshall asked.

"The bad news?" Crono pressed.

"Oh yeah, that... I got a splinter from the banister on the stairs," Marshall finished.

The was a mass exhalation of breath. The bad news could have been something important.

"Is that all!" Crono was a little annoyed at the trick.

"It hurts, though; I thought it might deserve some recognition," Marshall replied indignantly.

"How long would you say he's been awake?" Melchior asked.

"He was probably coming in and out of consciousness all night. I think he finally fully woke up just a few minutes before I arrived. I am, after all, the master of timing."

"One hour to recovery?" Melchior asked rhetorically, "Is that an estimate?"

"Well, maybe it'll be thirty minutes. Or maybe two hours. He'll be with us in a while, okay?" Marshall continued.

"Then we still have an hour to get ready," Melchior said, then added, "If Magus isn't fully 'able' by then, we'll just have to wait for him."

"Speaking of getting ready..." Marshall said, walking over to where he had been sleeping, "I have something."

He reached into his cloak lying on the ground and pulled out a crossbow. Marle's crossbow. He held it out for her to see.

"Hey, that's mine!" she exclaimed.

"How perceptive," Marshall responded, indicating her name on the butt of it, "I went out to the castle looking for some of your stuff. All of this trip, you have been complaining about the fact that you didn't have YOUR crossbow, so I went and got it myself."

"Thanks," Marle said, as she accepted the weapon.

"Of course, you'll have to give me MY crossbow in return," Marshall continued.

"Yeah, yeah; one second," Marle was rummaging in her stuff now, looking for said crossbow.

When she found it, she presented the weapon to Marshall, along with the quiver of bolts. He took it, then turned to his cloak once again. He pulled out another quiver of crossbow arrows, and gave them to her.

"Now that that's all taken care of, let's ready ourselves," Marshall said, taking a final turn to his belongings and getting his supplies in order.

"Where are Cid and Lucca, by the way?" Marle asked.

"They're outside, talking," Crono replied.

"Oh," Marle replied, "Shouldn't we get them and tell them that they need to get ready?"

"Ummmm..." Crono said intelligently, "Give them a few minutes, they have a lot to talk about."

-----

"Damn!" Lucca swore.

"What?" Crono asked, jerking his head toward her.

They were standing outside, surrounding Lucca and the gatekeeper. About forty-five minutes after Marshall had declared Magus's condition, the wizard had stumbled downstairs. He stated that he was okay, and he would be fully stable in a few minutes.

That was enough for Melchior, who set the time of departure to fifteen minutes from then. Magus steadied himself slowly, as he prepared for his role in the battle.

"Damn, damn, damn," Lucca continued, as if she hadn't heard Crono.

"Lucca, it would help if you explained the problem," Crono reminded her.

"Da--" Lucca began, then nodded her head, "Oh, sorry. Remember that wire that shocked me the other day? I'm sure you do; do you also remember that storm that hit just as we were leaving?"

Crono knew where this was heading, so did the others. Cid replied first, "It shorted out?"

"Yeppers," Lucca replied, "It'll take me a few minutes to reset the wirings and stuff. It shouldn't be too much of a problem."

Lucca turned back to the machine and began making the appropriate adjustments. The others stood where they were for a few moments, before noticing that this would take a while. They slowly turned and left to their own areas.

Cid remained, "Anything I can do to help?"

"Not that I know of," Lucca shook her head, "Sorry."

"Okay," Cid nodded and trudged off in search of something to entertain himself for a while.

Lucca turned back to the wiring and tried to find the wire that was causing the problem. She started to mumble to herself, "I knew it was going to rain, why would I leave these wires exposed like that? I'm must be losing it completely..."

An image flashed through her mind suddenly. It was gone fast, and she wasn't able to recognize it. She shook her head and tried to continue her work.

The image returned, this time with more clarity, and it lasted much longer. She saw Guardia Castle burning.

"This prophecy has become true," a familiar voice entered her head.

The image switched to a scene of her parents dying. "So has this," the voice continued.

Then an image of Nikades standing over her, gloating in his godlike power as he destroyed everthing around her. The voice spoke once more, "This is yet to occur, but it will in due time."

Nikades was indeed a god now. Lucca shuddered involuntarily. She tried to fight the visions, but they were relentless.

Cid stood at the edge of Death Peak, holding something. Marle, Crono, and Glenn were yelling voicelessly at him. He laughed at them.

Then Marle raised her crossbow and fired. The projectile struck Cid... Cid stumbled,dropping the nameless object to the snowy ground. Then he fell over backwards, toppling over the edge of the peak...

The voice spoke a last time, "This too, will occur in the future."

"Leave me alone, Nikades," Lucca said softly, so that the others wouldn't hear her.

"You truly believe I am this man turned god?" the voice replied.

"Are you saying you aren't him?"

"That and much more. I am something above him... and you. Heed my words, for they are what is to happen in the future. A future that YOU created, Lucca. You must now try and stop what only MIGHT occur. However, you cannot stop what I have showed you, the prophecies of what WILL occur."

Lucca shook her head, "Leave me alone. I WILL stop every single thing that I can. Including Cid's death. If I can change the future so drastically, I can change a little thing such as that."

"Huh?" Crono asked, over her shoulder.

"Do what you will, child," the voice said, then left.

"What were you saying?" Crono continued.

Lucca turned to her old friend, "Oh, um, I was just talking to myself. Trying to figure out what to do with this," she indicated the gatekeeper.

"Ah, sorry," Crono apologized and walked away.

Lucca shook her head, and turned back to her work, trying to forget what she had been told. She had too many things on her mind right now.

-----

"Are we all set now?" Marshall asked, as Lucca called them back to the gatekeeper.

"Yeah," Lucca replied, hitting a switch.

A bright red gate opened up in the apex of the gatekeeper. A howling noise erupted from it, though no wind followed. The gate shimmered, but remained.

"Guess that proves it," Marshall said.

"This will take us to Limbo," Lucca explained to the others.

"We already knew that," Crono said.

"Any more aphorisms for us?" Cid supplied.

Lucca glared at them, whom both gave innocent looks to her. Lucca sighed and continued, "As we know, there will be some resistance on our way to Nikades's altar. We'll have to prepare ourselves as we go along, we don't know exactly what we're fighting here."

"This could also be our last moments of existance," Melchior stated, a grave look on his face, "We should put our full effort into this the whole way through. No letting your guard down, not even once. Okay?"

The others agreed.

"It would have been nice if Nikades hadn't destroyed everything we could have used as an army. Guardia, Medina, and Ioko are all in shambles. He had this thing planned out so there wouldn't be ANY resistance when he started this," Marle added, "If there ever was a perfect plan, this comes closest to it that I can think of."

"Raising moral in the troops, huh?" Crono asked with slight sarcasm.

"I'm just warning you that we aren't facing a pushover!" Marle replied.

"Ok, ok. We already knew that, but thanks for the hint," Crono replied.

"Is everyone ready for this?" Glenn asked.

Again a mass of nods.

"Ok," Melchior said, "We have to make sure that Magus can reach Nikades alive to invoke the spell," he handed the amulet to Magus, "Here, you'll need this."

Magus took the medallion, "I already know the spell, so don't bother telling me."

"Good, then everything is set," Melchior said.

"It was great knowing you all," Marle spoke finally.

"You too," Crono said.

"Yeah," Lucca replied solemnly.

"I'll remember you," Glenn assured.

"It was great knowing all of you also," Melchior stated.

Marshall grunted, "I've had some strange experiences since I joined up with you guys, but I'd say it's been great."

"This has been the only exciting thing to ever happen to me, "Cid replied, "I'll surely say that it was great knowing all of you."

"Then let's go," Crono said, finally.

It was about noon now. The sun shone down on the shimmering red gate as it swallowed the group one by one. After the last one had entered, the gate closed.

The world's last hope were on their way.


	43. Chapter 43

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS

by

Jerm

Chapter 43

* * *

The gate opened to spew out the group into a desolate world. Looking around, they saw the world, now completed. There was no life whatsoever. Just a permeating pale, brown gloom that stretched out infinitely in all directions. Far off in front of them stood the dark castle that housed Nikades and his wretched minions. Far above, a pale sun tried vainly to shine through. 

The gate closed, shutting off the red light that had intensified the gloom. They were on their own now.

"Looks like Nikades didn't do this world any favors," Crono said, breaking the silence.

"We have to hurry to the castle," Melchior said urgently, "Maybe we can catch Nikades off guard if we are fast enough."

The group started off toward the castle at a slight run. Stepping over the dead flat world that shouldn't exist was like wading through a murky swamp without foilage and water. The castle seemed to grow as they advanced. It was large.

For a moment, the sun shone through, seeming to shimmer on the ground as though it were water. Then it hid behind the fog once more and the world darkened.

Marshall broke into the lead, being able to carry larger strides with his large legs. He had his sword out and was carrying it protectively so as not to slice himself. Frog was in second, but was having trouble keeping up. Marshall was as fast as he was big.

Marshall stopped as they reached the closed gates of the castle. The double doors were each at least thirty feet tall, and very imposing. The others caught up with him as he thought through this new dilemma.

"How do we get through this?" Cid asked.

"Know of a secret entrance into THIS castle?" Marshall asked, turning to Marle.

Marle unnecessarily shook her head. Then Lucca stepped forward, holding a small object. She laid it by the door and pressed something on the object.

"Step back," she said, turning and breaking into a soft jog away from the castle.

"How far?" Crono asked as he followed her example.

"Just follow me," Lucca replied.

The others followed Lucca as she continued away from the castle's door. After going about fifty feet, they heard a loud explosion behind them. They turned to see as a column of flame and smoke erupted from door. The doors were both thrown back into the castle, spinning from the sudden burst. They landed loudly deep inside the castle.

Smoke continued to billow out from the bottom of the entrance where the bomb had gone off. Lucca stopped and turned back to the castle, "Right about here will do."

"I would prefer if you judged where to run BEFORE you set the bomb," Crono replied, dryly.

"Details, details," Lucca waved him off, walking back toward the castle, "Let's go."

"I don't think we'll take Nikades by surprise any more," Melchior mumbled.

Marshall took the lead once more and carefully stepped into the dark foyer of the castle. He disappeared behind the smoke and for a moment was separated from the others. Then they were through as well and the group was one once more. Strangely, the Masamune began to glow as they entered, illuminating the room they were in.

The foyer of the castle looked much like Guardia's had when it was still around. No decorations adorned the stone walls, floor, or ceiling. Two doorways stood, one in front of them and the other lay to their right. The two main doors were nowhere to be seen.

_Welcome_

The group looked around to see who had spoken. The voice seemed to have been spoken into their mind, their ears unused. No one was present.

_I'm sure you are interested as to how far along I am_

"Surely he hasn't escaped yet, has he?" Glenn stated, waving the Masamune around to better illuminate the far recesses.

"No," Melchior said, then assured them with, "If he was, we'd be gone already.

_Hear my voice_

"What's he talking about?" Marshall asked.

_Look into my eyes_

"I don't know," Melchior said, "but I don't like this one bit."

_Feel my pain_

This last statement was said in a much darker tone. The castle, maybe the whole of Limbo, started to shudder. The group looked around, unprepared for what might happen. Then a white light seemed to erupt in the room. It became brighter and brighter. Then the light enveloped the group.

_Witness my world to its fullest_

The light died, revealing an empty room.

Crono found himself lying on the floor. He wasn't hurt or tired, the sudden position puzzled him. Crono climbed up to his feet and peered around his environment.

He was all alone.

The room was near dark with the absence of Glenn's sword. Even so, his eyes were somewhat adjusted already and he was able to spy out his surroundings minus the details.

He was still in the castle apparently, the walls and ceiling were the same grey stone that the previous room had been adorned with. He was now, though, standing at the far end of a long narrow corridor. He couldn't make out the other end, but by looking behind himself, he could see that he was nearly pressed up against a wall.

Mission one was finding his friends.

He started to walk down the dark corridor when suddenly, he heard a venomous roar erupt from the far side. The sword was immediately back in his hand as he cautiously crept down the path.

The roar erupted again, this time much closer. It was definitely down the hall. Off in the distance, he saw something shambling toward him. However, it was only a movement he saw, not the thing that was moving.

Mentally apologizing to his sword he slashed at the wall to his side. The sword struck the stone will a loud clang. Sparks flew away from the impact of steel on stone, giving the area around him a brief moment of light, though very faint.

The thing coming toward him wasn't anything he had ever seen before. In the brief moment of dim light, he had seen something insect-like coming toward him. It had front appendages like that of a preying mantis. However, its head was like that of a dragon, with slitted eyes, snout, and sharp curved teeth. Its back portion was unseeable.

Crono backed up as the movement came toward him again in the darkness. He held his sword in front of him, ready to fight.

One of the sickle arms came arching toward him as the beast reached him. He swung his sword quickly to parry the attack. There was a clang as the two weapons connected, then Crono saw the things head coming toward him, attempting to bite his neck.

Then he heard something else coming at him from behind.

-----

Cid stumbled awkwardly as he found himself standing in a maze of mirrors. He looked around and saw as though there was light, though the light had no apparent source.

There was one thing strange, however. He had no reflection in any of the mirrors that surrounded him. He looked around, looking for a way out of the maze.

The only way was through the maze.

Great, Cid thought to himself.

He started walking down the first passage that presented itself to him. He bumped into on of the mirrors accidentally. It was hard to tell where he was going in here even without his reflections.

He looked into the mirror he had bumped into, still seeing no reflection. He started to turn away, when something caught his eye.

Far into the mirror, as though from a distance, a figure was slowly walking toward him. Cid shook his head to clear himself, thinking that this was only his imagination coming from hitting his head. He looked back into the mirror.

The person was still coming. It was closer now. Cid looked to his left to see that the same figure was walking toward him in that reflection as well. Cid scanned the area to find that it was that way in all of the mirrors.

Then Cid recognized the person in the mirror. It was him. Cid panicked and ran off down the winding passages of the maze, looking for a way out before his reflection got to him. Everywhere he went, he saw the same picture of his reflection walking toward him. He could see his features now, they were nothing like the true Cid's.

There was a look of malevolence and evil in its eyes. It was now fifty feet from the glass. Cid turned right, then took a left at the next fork. He ran into a mirror, hitting a dead end. The figure was now forty feet. All of them.

-----

Marle looked around her new surroundings to find herself alone. She was standing in a wide, endless, and flat meadow. There was no sign of Limbo or the castle. She sighed, wondering where she was.

A screech brought her out of her reverie. She looked above her to see a swarm of large birdlike creatures coming toard her. There were dozens. At least fifty.

Marle took out her crossbow and fired the first shot. One of the creatures fell to the ground, dead.

The queen turned and ran away from the swarming monsters as she reloaded and fired another shot into the flock.

How was she going to get out of here? Marle fired again and again and again, reloading quickly as the monstrosities gained on her.

Even as she continued to run, she saw that there was nothing but plains that stretched out before her.

_Where are the others?_ she thought to herself as she downed another beast.

Then the monsters reached her.

-----

Glenn peered around himself to see that he was standing in a large circular arena. Nobody sat in the seats that surrounded the arena, but he suddenly heard a cheering erupt.

"And now, witness before your very eyes... the greatest battle of all time!" a voice boomed from nowhere.

Glenn held the Masamune tightly as he spun about, looking for the opposition. Then a gate opened up at the far end from where he stood.

Glenn looked curiously at a lone figure that emerged from the dark opening. That person looked so familiar.

The person drew his sword, which was also very familiar... Cyrus held the Masamune out before him, inviting Glenn to begin the bout.

"Cyrus?" Glenn asked unsuredly.

"Time to see who really IS the best, Glenn," Cyrus replied, walking toward the amphibian.

"What are you doing here?" Glenn continued.

"Defeating an easy opponent," Cyrus replied, swinging his sword at Glenn.

-----

_Hello Lucca_

Lucca opened her eyes and looked at who had spoken.

Nikades resided, still encased, inside of the crystal altar. His eyes remained closed, his body unmoving. She looked around herself to see that they were in the throne room of the castle, the altar being the throne. Then she saw three figures behind Nikades.

Marshall, Magus, and Melchior each stood, frozen like statues. They stared forth with no recognition of who was by them.

_Enjoying the view?_

"What have you done with them?" Lucca asked.

_These three presented the largest threat to me. Each posses magic far beyond that which you and your other friends could ever hold. They needed to be subdued in order to make sure nothing would happen to me_

"And the o-others?" Lucca asked, fearing the worst.

_They are entertaining my minions at this moment_

It was unnerving to hear the words come from something that didn't move. Lucca peered closely at the figure, "What do you want of me?"

_You have a special task for me_

Lucca shuddered, "What?" she asked, wondering if she shouldn't.

_So full of questions. You'll see_

Lucca looked back at the three helpless figures once more. Was it possible for them to win at all?

-----

Crono ducked as a last resort of self preservation. He heard snapping as the two beasts missed him barely. He rolled onto his back and looked up to see the two monsters rearing over him.

Crono thrust the sword up and at his first antagonist. The beast was unprepared for the attack and was struck in the stomach. It shrieked at the pain that suddenly wracked it. The monster shuddered, then retreated back.

Crono watched as it faded into the darkness to nurse its wounds. Then he saw a sickle arc toward his head from the other. Crono rolled quickly, hitting the wall hard, as he heard the bladed arm hit the stone floor beside him.

Crono lay on his back and threw his legs over his shoulders. Using the momentum, he rolled his body back, ending up standing back on his feet, sword in hand. The monster raised its sickle and swung it at him in a backhand motion. Crono backed up, allowing the weapon to strike the wall. He then hacked at the demon, who blocked the blow with its remaining sickle.

The two combatants peered at each other, waiting for an opening. Then the monster roared and swung both of its arms at Crono, as if to hug him. Crono started to duck; then, just as Crono had anticipated, the monster rearranged its attack lower.

Crono jumped up, using his bent legs for momentum. The monster's hug attack sliced nothing as Crono vaulted up into the air. Crono raised his sword and brought it down as he descended, it embedded itself into the dragon head of the monster.

The monster flinched back, trying to avoid the attack, but it had too much momentum put into its swing. It shrieked as the blade penetrated, then fell over onto its side. Dead.

Crono turned from it and began to continue his original walk toward the far end of the hall. He would surely find his way out at the other end.

A few dozen meters later, he crossed the body of the wounded, now dead, monster that he had originally cut. He carefully stepped around it, not sure it was dead. However, it didn't move and Crono passed with no problem.

-----

Cid hit another dead end as the demon continued its slow advance. Was there no way out of this wretched maze?

He backtracked and took a right instead, and followed it down a winding path, until he reached another branch. The figure was now 20 feet away and coming closer. It raised its hands menacingly toward Cid. It had claws, not fingers. The eyes seemed to pulse.

And they were all around Cid.

Cid went straight, ignoring the left path, and followed it to another junction; left, right, and straight. He took right and met a dead end. Left and straight were both the same.

Cid backed up to the original break in the path and went down that passage. The figure was now 15 feet away.

"Where is the damn exit!" Cid yelled to the advancing figure in the mirror to his right.

All of the figures opened their mouths and laughed at him. They continued their slow walk toward him.

Cid broke into a run, hitting mirrors that he didn't see as he continued his search for escape. He hit a final dead end some moments later. The right way was way back behind him, almost to where he had started. Cid couldn't remember his way back.

Ten feet.

Cid turned around and ran down the path madly, turning and taking random passages. He met several dead ends, but simply doubled back and tried another. He looked about him wildly, wondering how to get back to where he was earlier.

The reflection-Cids were now five feet from him as he ran in a panicked gait for the exit.

Then he took a right and saw a white light at the far end of the passage of mirrors. He broke into a run toward it.

The figures reached the end of their mirrors and slowly began to reach through. Cid saw hands erupting from all of the mirrors in front of him, knew that the same was occurring beside him as well. Claws were on all of those hands. Cid didn't bother looking to the figures that were inches away from him to his right and left.

The figures broke free from their prisons as Cid was several feet from the exit. Cid prayed for safety and broke into a legfirst dive toward the light. He felt as hands reached for him and missed. He reached the light.

Then he was safe.

-----

Marle fired a shot at point blank range, throwing the five foot birdlike creature away from her. She turned and continued to run as she reloaded.

Far off into the distance, she saw a door. It was standing all alone, it was almost comical. But she knew that it was the way out. She doubled her running, trying to reach the door.

She turned and shot at another flying monster, who veered off to the right, the bolt missing. She reloaded, hoping she wouldn't waste too many shots.

The next shot took out the closest bird, sending it to the ground, wings flapping helplessly. Marle turned back in front of her to see a bird landing in front of her. It hissed and reached out for her.

Before she could think of anything better, Marle hunched over and barreled into the monster. It was caught by surprise and was thrown to the ground, trampled under the queen. Marle turned and shot another demon, but there were simply too many.

She would have to make a diversion. She focused her mind, trying not to lose concentration as she ran. Then she opened her eyes and released the spell.

A blizzard erupted around her and the birds. Unable to fly properly in the gusting wind, the birds fell to the ground gracelessly.

Marle bent her head forward and drove forward through the cold, reaching the door and exiting to safety.

-----

Glenn quickly parried the first attack and fell back, trying to give himself room from an old friend. He couldn't yet tell if this was indeed a friend or a foe.

"Is it really you, Cyrus?" Glenn continued.

"Of course it is, Glenn," Cyrus replied, "Now be a good boy--frog, I mean, and die!"

This wasn't Cyrus. Glenn thrust his Masamune forward, intent on ending the battle in one blow.

Cyrus neatly blocked the attack and hit Glenn across the face with the flat of his Masamune. Glenn stumbled back, trying to regain his footing. This person indeed fought just like Cyrus. It was as if he was fighting Cyrus himself.

Cyrus attacked once more and the two attacked, parried, and counterattacked each other to the roar of the nonexistant crowd. The fight was going nowhere as both fighters were perfectly unharmed.

Glenn saw an opening soon though. He swung his blade at Cyrus's face. Cyrus, of course, blocked the attack. Cyrus's sword was low, however, giving Glenn a perfect attack. Glenn then kicked the surprised knight in the gut, sending him flailing onto his back. Dust flew out from under him from the impact.

Glenn appeared above Cyrus and swung. But not at Cyrus, instead at the Masamune. The weapon flew out of Cyrus's numb hand, to bounce and clatter several yards away.

Cyrus raised his hands above himself to block the attack that would follow. After a few moments, he tentatively peered from behind his cover.

Glenn walked away from the thing that looked like his old friend. He stepped to the middle of the arena, and turned to the people that should be around him, "It ends here!"

_That it does_

White light enveloped Glenn sending him to his next destination. The arena, the crowd, and the announcer all vanished in that blinding light.


	44. Chapter 44

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS

by

Jerm

Chapter 44

* * *

Lucca stared at the form of Nikades that stood inside the diamond like stone. She wondered when he would finally emerge. Would her friends be alive and able to get here in time? 

Lucca shuddered, not liking the idea of everyone she knew dying. It would surely be irony if she, the one who started this mess, was the only survivor. Lucca shut her mind on those thoughts, surely the others would make it.

_It is almost time. Are you anxious to your new god's arrival?_

Lucca thought up a sharp retort, "Anxious, yes. Hopeful, no."

A short laugh echoed around the domed room. The figure wasn't even moving with the laughter, the sound seemed to erupt from nowhere.

_We'll see_

"Leave me alone, when the others get here, we can stop you," Lucca shot back bravely.

_Not likely. You said it yourself, 'Something this big can't be 'stopped''_

Lucca was surprised, "How did you--"

_Your mind is telling me all of this. As are the minds of the other three behind me. I know all about their plan to stop me. Believe me, it won't happen_

Lucca remained silent. Instead, she sat down on the stone ground, wrapping her arms around her knees. A chair appeared beside her moments later.

_Would you like something more comfortable?_

Lucca continued to remain silent. She ignored the chair and continued to sit and wait on her friends.

Suddenly, the chair's arms and legs became real appendages, the back of the chair growing into a neck with a deformed and cruel head at the top. The monster struck at her, attempting to bite her neck. Lucca sat still, albiet a little apprehension. The illusion went right through her. Finally, it disappeared.

"I understand you now, Nikades," Lucca said finally, "All of this time, the only magic you used against us was the powers of illusion. Only when you sent your demons after us, were we in any danger. You had no magic, the Masamune drained it out of you. Only petty spells were and are at your disposal.

Lucca continued, "Only when you are finished with this transformation, will there be any threat at all. Do what you like, I'm not moving... And, my friends WILL make it here. You can't do anything to stop them... except some harmless illusions."

The figure inside was silent for a moment. It seemed to be pondering her words. Finally, he broke out of his thoughts. His voice was almost one of pride.

_Very perceptive. You will make an excellent general_

Lucca was surprised for a moment at the title he had thrown at her, "Gen... eral?"

_You are the one who released me. For that, I will spare you. You will be one of my generals, who will send the armies I create at the other two gods. They will try to stop me, the other two, but I am too strong for even the both of them_

"What makes you think I would do such a thing?" Lucca demanded.

_You will_

Lucca remained silent once more.

-----

Crono reached the end of the hallway and pulled open the door. He tentatively stepped out and peered around this new hallway. The right was clear. He turned to look left and found himself face to face with Marle, who was running full tilt toward him. They collided and collapsed on the ground.

"Ow," Crono remarked as he hit the ground and felt the beginning of a bruise on his arm.

Marle jumped up and looked down at what she had previously thought was a demon, "Crono?"

"Yeah, are you okay, Marle?" he asked, rubbing his now injured arm.

"I think so," she replied, "I've been through a lot to get here, though."

"Me too," Crono replied, "Have you seen Lucca, Magus, or any of the others?"

"Everyone's been separated," Marle exclaimed, "I think they're all going through the same things we did."

"I guess we can only hope they're as lucky as we were," Crono said regretfully, "We've got to hurry on, though. Which way were you going?"

Marle pointed in front of her, over Crono's shoulder, "That way."

They both hurried that way, hoping to meet someone else on the way.

-----

Cid stumbled forward, wondering how lucky he was to have found the exit at the last second. It was quite a coincidence, and even though it made great suspense and adrenaline for Cid, he really didn't care for it. It was almost as if Nikades had allowed him to find it at the last moment.

Something wasn't right with that though. Wouldn't it be easier for Nikades if he stopped playing with the competition and just exterminate them? Cid thought about that, though not coming up with anything.

He trudged on through the dark hallways that stretched out all around him.

-----

Glenn opened his eyes as the white light evaporated from around him. He was standing in the throne room of a castle. He then noticed that Nikades was set up, sealed, in front of him. Lucca sat beside the frog, and behind Nikades, stood in perfect stillness Marshall, Magus, and Melchior. All three of their hopes.

Glenn silently cursed the luck he was being presented with. He redrew the Masamune, preparing to fight whatever it was that was holding the other three. "Lucca? Are you ok?"

Lucca looked up at him, surprised at his sudden appearance, then answered, "Yeah, I think so."

_I see you've brought the item that sealed my powers so long ago_

The Masamune glowed much brighter at its recognition. Glenn held it aloft to better illuminate his surroundings. Nothing came at him. Then suddenly, the Masamune was sent flying from his hands and spinning toward Nikades. It stooped and hovered, point up, in front of the sealed figure.

_Much larger than I remember, but things change, I am told_

The sword spun away and embedded itself into a wall, inches from Marshall neck. The large figure remained stone still however. He was paralyzed by a spell of some sort, Glenn thought out.

_Just making sure you don't try and use it against me. I have some bad memories of that sword_

A short chuckle entered the air. Reverberating and becoming louder in the vaulted room. The laughter died away and silence returned. Glenn looked around hesitantly.

"What do we do?" he asked Lucca.

"We wait," she replied, continuing to sit.

-----

Lucca tried to keep her thoughts to herself. Nikades would exploit them and bring them into the open, just to 'rub it in'. She shook her head as she heard Nikades laughter erupt in her head. Looking over, she could see that Glenn couldn't hear it.

_Thought over about becoming my general, yet?_

'Go to hell,' Lucca thought back spitefully.

Nikades seemed to find this remark funny and laughed again.

Lucca ignored him. She instead thought of when her friends would arrive. Crono, Marle, and Cid were still discounted for. Glenn had arrived however, and that was a good sign that the others might too be coming soon. She held on to that thought and ignored the remarks by Nikades.

Then she heard footsteps behind her. She turned, and saw that Marle and Crono had both made it here. Cid, however, was still missing.

_Welcome to the party. Bring me presents?_

_----- _

"What's going on?" Crono asked the others as he and Marle entered.

"He has our trump cards," Marle said, indicating the three statuelike beings that stood behind Nikades' shell, "It seems."

_That I do. And you are just in time for the show_

"Where's Cid?" Lucca asked.

"I didn't see him; is he the only one missing?" Crono asked, looking around.

_He'll be here. But he's a little late_

The altar started to slowly glow a pale white, slowly drowning out the image of Nikades. The group looked helplessly as he began to emerge from his cocoon. The two that were supposed to stop him, Magus and Melchior remained frozen.

The metamorphosis was beginning.

-----

Cid heard voices somewhere in front of him. He doubled his efforts, hoping it was the voice of friends. The long hallway passed by him quickly as he broke into a slight run, the side passages now drifting by without so much as a glance from him. He knew where he was going now.

Cid broke out of the mazelike hallways to find himself in a large throne room. He was not alone. The others also stood in the room, all facing the crystal monolith that stood in the center. The altar was permeating a white hue now, which was becoming much brighter.

"We've got to do something!" Crono yelled, shielding his eyes.

_Like what?_

Crono was suddenly in motion, drawing his sword and diving at the crystal in a blur of movement. However, the sword merely glanced off of the indestructible matter with a piercing ring. He swung again with the same results. Nikades laughed.

_That's a start. But it won't work_

Cid quickly ran forward, uniting with the group. Marle saw him from the corner of her eye and turned. When she recognized him, she called out his name in relief, drawing the other's attention.

Lucca smiled at him, despite the conditions they were under, "Hi."

"Hi," he replied.

_No 'hi' for me?_

The voice was one of mirth and false sadness put together; otherwise known as sarcasm. Nikades laughed again, however, the white light faltered slightly and he stopped quickly.

_Oops, almost lost my concentration_

"How much more time do we have?" Cid asked, ignoring Nikades.

"Not long," Crono replied, "There has to be something..."

Marle ran up to Melchior and reached out to shake him and try and regain his senses. Instead, a quick discharge of electricity erupted from the still body, driving the Queen back. Marle gasped, rubbing her burned hand.

_I guess I forgot to warn you about my security system_

Suddenly, dark forms began to emerge, entering the room and surrounding the group. They were shadows, dozens of them. They circled the room, but remained where they were. They were only spectators in this event of epic proportions.

_Meet my security team_

"Can you move!" Cid yelled to the three behind Nikades. There was no response.

"I think we're in trouble," Crono said sadly, as he prepared for an attack from the shadow-like demons.

"Truly," Glenn replied, wishing he still had his sword.

"Are you going to do anything?" Marle asked Lucca, trying to get the other girl to stand.

_She's having an attack of conscience right now_

"Just shut up!" Marle yelled, continuing to try and get Lucca up.

Lucca remained adamant in her seated position, however, and Marle gave up and turned back to Nikades, "How can you do this?"

_Trade secret_

Marle continued, "No joking around, how can you simply destroy all existence! You are going to ruin the lives of so many people! Why! Is there a reason, or are you completely insane!"

_I do what I will. Mortals like you should not question my judgement_

The voice was no longer joking, it was a serious voice. It echoed through the room, causing several of them to shiver involuntarily. The echoes died away, and silence returned. The shadows continued to stand where they were, waiting for the birth of the god they had helped create.

Then the white light brightened emensely, drowning out Nikades from sight. The crytal looked like a giant lightbulb, and the light continued to expand and grow, igniting the whole room with itself. The shadows drew back, now standing out perfectly in the light.

_Witness the birth of the newest god! You are a special few, whom may view this moment that will change the lives of so many!_

The voice was now strained, as if the person or god the voice emmitted from was in emmense pain. Then there was a scream that was a piercing to the ears as the light was to the eyes. The group flinched back as the noise echoed and intensified in the throne room.

The members of the group that could move, gathered around each other, as if seeking protection from this thing that would possibly destroy them all.

The screaming died down finally, only to be replaced by a cracking noise. The crystal was splitting from top to bottom like an egg. The white light seemed to flow out of that crack. Inside that light was the silhouette of a figure, made black in contrast to the blinding light. The figure slowly began to pull itself out of the shell.

_My spell is complete. I have drained the energies of this world and now have enough to be a god_

The crystal altar seemed to shrink as the figure stepped out of it. It was now smaller than Nikades was. Nikades reached out and seemed to mold the object in his hands. The altar shattered suddenly, the fragments flying in all directions in a slow movement, as though they were in water. The white light died instantly.

Once again, the room was gloomy and dark. The shadows were once again invisible to the eyes of the others.

Nikades stood in his godly splendor. It was no longer a simple human. Its once pale skin was now a normal contrast, though it seeped an unholy aura that radiated around the god. Its eyes were now pitch black, indicating the infinite powers trapped within. Adorning the god, the black robes were the same as always, though they seemed to share the aura that erupted from the body of the god.

Nikades stepped forward, toward the group. He looked at Crono.

_Step forward_

Crono suddenly found himself without control of his limbs. His body stepped forward, at the irresistable command of a god. He stopped right in front of Nikades. He struggled vainly to move, but his feet wouldn't budge any further.

_Very good_

Crono tried to reply, but couldn't talk. Suddenly, he was thrown into the air, landing on the flagstone floor of the castle far from where he had so recently stood. He tried to stand, but was unable. Marle tried to rush to his side, but she too couldn't move. Everyone was unable to budge.

Then the god turned toward Lucca. It peered down at her, she glared back defiantly. Nikades, reached out and held its hand out palm forward.

_Come with me_

Lucca stood up slowly, doing its bidding for she was unable to do naught else. Nikades turned its back to everyone and began to walk away. In front of it, a raging black vortex opened up. The gate seemed to suck at everything in the room with a powerful force, yet nothing moved.

Lucca trudged behind Nikades as it approached the swirling circle. Nikades turned back to the group, looking at each of them in turn. Then it indicated Marshall, Magus, and Melchior. The three vanished, only to reappear by Crono, though still unable to move.

Nikades laughed at the omnipotent power it now held. The other two wouldn't stand a match against the newest god. It faced Lucca once more, who had stopped in her tracks to wait for it to move once more.

It gave her the ability to move and talk once more. Lucca sagged to her knees, unprepared for the sudden release. She slowly stood up and continued to look in its black eyes with a look of definace. Nikades laughed deeply at her, wondering if it could ever tame her enough to become a general.

The rest of the group remained still, unable to move. They hoped that Lucca would have a better fate that this. There was nothing they could do now, though. They had tried to stop the unstoppable, and naturally failed. Without Magus and Melchior, everything would fail.

It was over.

_Are you ready to become my general now?_

"Never," Lucca replied.

_Even if it meant to be able to stay alive where others would die? You would become immortal, as I am_

"I don't want to live if it meant that I would betray my family, my friends, and people I don't even know," Lucca continued to look into its eyes.

_We'll see_

_----- _

Lucca looked in the eyes of her enemy. Images that had flashed through her mind so many times were now being duplicated, though in her eyes now, not in her mind. She saw before her Nikades as a god. Eyes glowing black with arcane powers.

Other images flooded her mind. Guardia castle destroyed. Her parents dead. Nikades standing before her as a god. Herself being engulfed in flames. And Cid, standing atop a mountain peak being shot by a crossbow being held by Marle. All but the last two had been fulfilled now.

However, Lucca understood one of the remaining two. She reached into her pouch and pulled out the object she had spent so long creating when she had locked herself inside of her room.

-----

_What do we have here?_

Lucca held the round object up to the face of the god, "A bomb."

Nikades seemed to start laughing at this for a moment, then though better of it, instead cocking its head to the side to examine it.

_You aren't going to use that to blow me up, are you?_

There was mirth in the statement, Nikades wasn't taking her seriously. Lucca however, was dead serious. She twisted the sphere, "You now have 5 seconds of existance left."

Nikades laughed. She couldn't expect to destroy it with a simple show of pyrotechnics. That was foolhardy. The seconds counted down.

Cid struggled vainly against his imprisonment, knowing that Lucca could not possibly survive an explosion that close.

-----

Lucca tensed herself against the explosion that was about to occur. She had started this, now it was her duty to end it. She would expect no less from herself.

3 seconds left.

Lucca looked back for a moment at the others, her friends. She stared at Cid for a moment longer, wondering if he would ever understand this. She sighed deeply and turned back to the god.

1 second left.

Lucca felt an emmense weight lift off of her suddenly. Her conscience had relieved her of her guilt. She was free, finally fully happy for the first time in months. The voices that had warned her what would happen, were now gone; replaced by her own thoughts and beliefs.

She looked into the black eyes that peered back at her with mirth.

"Good bye," Lucca said, the statement not to Nikades, but to everyone else present, the friends she would save.

-----

The sphere was suddenly shattered as the contents inside of it forced their way out in the form of fire. The explosion blew around the two figures that stood around it, causing them to disappear for a moment. Then Lucca was flying out of it. She was flung lifelessly through the air, to land on the hard floor twenty feet away from where she had stood previously. She slid across the floor, hitting the wall and stopping.

Cid tried to scream, but no sound was emmitted from his trapped lips. He stared as the smoke dissipitated from the god, who remained untouched and unyielding. Nikades started to laugh.

_My, my. Looks like I need a new general, doesn't it?_

Then the black gate behind him started to shift in color. Nikades stopped laughing and turned alarmingly as his spell went suddenly wrong.

The group suddenly found themselves able to move, and they stood up quickly. The Masamune escaped the wall it was embedded in and came to Glenn's outstretched hand. The frog held the weapon out, waiting for an attack from the shadows or the god.

The shadows were in a panic. They didn't know what was going on either, and were milling about, muttering.

Nikades felt himself being drawn toward the gate, which was flowing with all of the colors of the rainbow. The colors within it swirled and mixed, as the gate began spinning like a whirlpool. The vortex reached out for the god hungrily.

The castle suddenly began to warp and twist, its creation being disturbed by Nikades loss of concentration. Then it started to shake and collapse. Chunks of rock came cracking from the ceiling to land roughly on the ground. Magus raised his hand and formed a shield around the group. Rocks crashed against it, but the shield held.

Nikades suddenly shrieked as he felt his body being painfully altered. He felt as pieces of himself was torn away, as he was suddenly ripped into the existance of the 5th dimension. He was no longer a god, existing in the 6th dimension but a mortal of the 5th. He shrieked again as the pain intensified. He was being shifted into the existance of the 4th dimension. He could no longer see all of the dimension. Only the past, present, and future of limbo.

"What the hell's happening?" Marshall yelled, over the din of the collapsing castle.

"I'm not sure," Melchior replied, "I think this is Lucca's doing!"

Cid looked over at her body now, finally being reminded of her death. He started toward it, hoping she may still be alive.

Marshall grabbed ahold of him, "Let her go, she's dead Cid! Don't kill yourself getting to her!"

Cid fought against the hands that held him, but Marshall was too strong. He slumped and began to cry.

Nikades finally understood what was happening. The bomb hadn't been a bomb. It had been a device that would reverse his spell by causing a strong disturbance in the field of energy. The explosion would be enough to activate it. Instead of going from the 3rd dimension to the 6th, he was being drawn back. Nikades yelled as the pain wracked his now frail body. He entered the 3rd dimension. The past and future were shredded away from him, and he was now a simple man once more. He fell to his knees wondering if it would end.

Then he felt the pain overtake him and he began the transformation into the 2nd dimension.

"Dear god," Marle muttered, as she saw the sorcerer slowly flatten into a 2-d figure.

The raging rainbow vortex behind the once god was now howling madly, drawing at Nikades as if in anger. Its force was causing the castle to shake more ungently. The roof started to fall to pieces much faster, and the walls were beginning to crack.

"We've got to get out of here, now!" Crono yelled.

"The kid's right," Marshall said, grabbing a new handhold on Cid as he tried to break free once more, "Magus, can you hold that shield while in motion?"

"Yes," Magus replied, stepping forward toward the exit of the room.

The shadows were trying to exit the castle, most however, were being killed by the debris that was collapsing from the ceiling and walls.

Cid tugged against Marshall once more, "Let me go! She may still be alive!"

"She's dead damn it!" Marshall yelled, "Can't you see that! Trying to get to her will result in what she wants least: You dead as well!"

"But--"

"Don't be irrational, Cid!" Marle yelled, "There's nothing we can do!"

Cid slumped and gave up. He ran behind Magus with the others, giving a last look at the motionless body of his first friend. Dead.

As they left the room, Crono gave a last look back at the sorcerer. He was now entering the first dimension, his body seeming to melt as it flattened into a line. Nikades' screams had long since died away, either from the lack of voice or being covered up by the deep rumbling that accompanied the collapse of the castle.

Then they were out of the room, running down the corridors alongside the fleeing shadows. The shadows ignored them however, intent on escaping rather than dying trying to fight for a now futile cause. They turned down a side path, following the flow of demons, when suddenly the wall collapsed in front of them, crushing half a dozen shadows under it. More rocks came tumbling after the wall, sealing in that exit.

"Back!" Melchior yelled, as they turned around to try and find another way out.

Magus stopped them however, "Wait, I can handle this."

He raised his hand and pointed toward the blocked exit. Nothing seemed to happen for a moment, then the rocks seemed to pick themselves up and move aside, forming a free path. Not stopping there, Magus continued to move the rocks on up ahead, causing the walls to break apart and slide to the side, forming a straight path to the outside of the castle.

"Go, hurry! Before I lose my hold on it!"Magus yelled with a strained voice, the shield around the group fading slightly in an indication of his fading strength.

The group ran as he instructed. The demons also turned back to the passage, and the large mob continued to flee. The castle continued to collapse.

-----

Nikades finally shifted into the 0 dimension. His matter lost all form and he became a nonexistant dot. Then the metamorphosis continued, and his reversed spell finished itself. The pain finally left him as he left his existance.

Moments later the spell was complete. Nikades no longer existed. Life and death held no position for him, he was no longer there at all.

With Nikades gone, the magically created castle and lands around it started to fade away.

-----

The group emerged from the hole in the castle and Magus dropped his spell. Dozens of the shadow demons were still trapped inside, however, their screams went unheard for the rest. The group broke away from the fleeing demons and toward where the gate had been.

"Who has the gate key?" Marle asked, hoping that it wasn't Lucca.

"I do," Crono replied, holding it aloft, "Lucca told me to keep it... now I know why."

"Poor Lucca," Marle muttered, "She knew all along that this would happen, didn't she?

"...Yeah," Crono replied, operating the gate key, causing the red gate to open.

Then an ear splitting scream erupted from the castle.

The land around them started to disipitate along with the castle. The group quickly entered the gate, leaving the world that was the source of so much pain for them. The gate closed behind them as the world continued to fade away.

The shadows however remained. After the world was gone, and the blackness that had dominated Limbo for so long had returned, they gathered. Now only a quarter of their forces were left. Plans would have to be made.


	45. Chapter 45

CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS

by

Jerm

Chapter 45

* * *

The group spilled out of the red gate that stood in the frame of the gatekeeper. The gate remained open, however. They stood up slowly, peering into the depths. 

"The shadows may follow us," Marshall said slowly, "I think it best that we close it now."

Crono nodded and reached out to press the deactivation button on the gatekeeper.

"But Lucca's still in there," Cid continued.

"I'm sorry, Cid," Crono said, shaking his head in a downcast manner.

He pressed the button and the gate shut, sealing this world from the next. Crono stepped back from the machine, dropping the gatekey to the ground. It was over.

But not without the casualties.

"Wasn't there any way she could have done that without the bomb?" Marle asked.

Melchior shook his head, "No. In order to disrupt a spell, you need a lot of energy. Energy in its pure form is fire. To disrupt a spell of that magnitude, you needed a lot of fire. A bomb was the perfect implement."

"She's really gone," Crono said sadly, "After all these years I've known her. . ."

Marle reached out and hugged him. He held her as well, seeming almost to cry. Cid looked at the gate longingly, as if he wanted to use it to go back to Limbo. Instead, however, he turned from it and walked to Lucca's house. He opened the door and walked in, shutting it behind him.

"Do you think HIS scars will heal?" Glenn asked.

"I'm not sure," Melchior replied.

"It's all over now," Crono said slowly, "What will we do?"

"Rebuild... and hope that nothing like this ever happens again," Marle replied, "That's always the best to hope for."

"I must return to Zeal," Magus said.

"I need to rebuild my home," Melchior continued.

"Guardia needs a leader," Crono said, looking at Marle.

Marshall shrugged, "Looks like I'll be burying 'The Marshal' once more. I'll go back to my shop and try to live a peaceful life again."

Glenn added, "I think I'll be returning home as well."

"And what about Cid? He doesn't belong in this time," Marle asked.

"We'll have to ask him," Crono said.

-----

Cid walked into Lucca's bedroom. Immediately, he walked to her bookcase and began to take out books. He sifted through them, looking for any information. What he found inside these books, however, was something much bigger. Lucca's journal, a list of inventions, and several small books of Lucca's theories adorned the bookcase.

Cid sighed in content and began to pore over the books. There must be something in here that will bring Lucca back. He opened up her first journal and started to read about the life of Lucca.

When he opened up the book however, a note fell out of the sleeve. He bent and picked it up, reading:

_To whoever finds this,_

_I think that it will be you, Cid, that finds this. In this case, I address this note to you. On this shelf you will find my life's work. I want you to study it, to gain a better knowledge of the technology of my time. I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you, but what I did was necessary. I hope you can understand the importance of my actions, and you won't do anything foolish. In these books are things for Crono and Marle as well. I have discovered intriguing facts about our past and ancestors. You must make sure that they read and understand these things when you find them. _

_I'm sorry again that I can't be with you all. I will miss all of you and I can only hope that my death has caused more positive points than negative. One can only hope for the best, after all. _

_Bye to my friends,  
Lucca_

Cid put the note down and sighed. She had known all along that this would happen. Why would she do it? Cid turned back to the book seated before him. He would find his answers here. There must be a way to bring her back.

Cid would dedicate his life to that end, if necessary.

* * *

HERE ENDS CHRONO TRIGGER DIMENSIONS

Began: Mid-November 1997  
Finished: July 10, 1998


End file.
